Way of the Wicked: Knot of Thorns [IC]

[Ahus]

"Donovan, I'm not after revenge... in this case anyway... but the simple truth is that any hesitation that their presence may cause in the guards is beneficial, and any arrow that hits one of them is one that doesn't hit one of us.
Now stand aside, I need to find the branding iron that marked us all as forsaken. For when we get out of here, the authorities will be hunting for anyone with that brand. The more people with that brand the more difficult it will be for them to track us." Ved, says to Donovan as he and the boy push past.

[lostsole31]

Does anyone counter or try to stop Ved?

[GM_Dave]

no, Zep will instead make sure that the other two servants stay silent.

[Blackhawk101]

Leonidas doesn’t try to stop Ved but he does voice his concern with this course of action.“What!? If we escape you're goin’ to round up random folks and brand them to try to help us blend in. Yeah, that ain’t goin’ to work. Have you seen “us”?
Not to mention you are running off alone to find this iron. That’s crazy!”

[bcool999]

"I have said it before and I will say it again, you are a senile old man Ved," Amadeus says with disdain, "You are trying to make a haystack to hide needles when instead we should join already existing haystacks. Ones that don't have the memory of our appearances burned into their memory by the pain of a brand. The important problem is leaving this place now, and these peasants will not cause the guards to hesitate. We have killed to many of their brothers in arms for that."

[BuckGodot]

"I can say that I am not the greatest oraganizationer but even I know a dumb idea when I hear one... If he wants to go off alone to get killed let him. We need to get out of here. Maybe now would be the time to try the window?"

[lostsole31]

Kel finally loses her cool, as the human motivator for her tightly holding onto the veil this entire time once again speaks. She whips her head to Donovan. "Stop .... with ... the ... frakkin' .... window. You are like a child that just wants to see it work. There's a door. Right there! Maybe it's covered. Maybe it isn't. But no matter what happens, we have to get past the main gate. How about until we get that far if need it?"

Ved, do you continue with your plan?

[Ahus]

Ved and the boy head out the door.

[lostsole31]

Okay, what does everyone else do?

Spoiler

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I need you to understand that the world does not wait for you. There is no metagame clock that has everyone off-board politely standing by to be "ready" for the "next encounter."

[BuckGodot]

Donovan will turn his focus back to the door to the next room and await the plan to move forward.

[Blackhawk101]

“We are leaving, yes? Preferably not towards the army of guards waiting to kill us.”

[GM_Dave]

"Kel is right, I was also thinking that we may need the windoe in order to slip past the main gate. I doubt the doors will open for us just because we kill enough people. This is a prison, not a carnival. Bile lead the way, everyone else, let the man do his job so we don't get ambushed again. Ved has chosen his own route, he may provide us a distracrion, let's not waste the chance."

[Blackhawk101]

With a heavy sigh, Leonidas draws his sword and begins executing the kitchen staff unless someone tries to stop him.
“Sorry.” Stab. Stab.
He continues until all the servants are deceased and then he wipes his sword clean on their clothing.
“Had to be done.”
He doesn’t appear upset at the act , just inconvenienced.

[GM_Dave]

Zepsus will assist Leo if needed, including sepperating the servants, and gagging them so that they dont scream. He will wordlessly nod to Leo in approval.

[bcool999]

Seeing Leo move to execute the peasants, Amadeus thinks about stopping him before sighing and lending his sword to the cause should the kitchen staff resist. "I was hoping to get more details about the prison's layout from them. Not that I thought they knew much, but they could give distances at least. Sounds like the guards are gathered at the exit which could free us up to look for something to even the odds. GrumbleJack, you said that Blackerly poisoned you yes? If we can find his quarters we may find an antidote or some more of that to help us with the remaining guards. Also, since Ved left want to join in the collective I mentioned before?"

Spoiler

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If GrumbleJack agrees, boot Ved from the collective if he hasn't passed the distance limit yet and join GrumbleJack.

[lostsole31]

Leonidas falls on and executes the hapless peasants.

Grumblejack nods, and smiles, and Ved is removed from the collective as Grumblejack is joined.

Now what?

[Ahus]

Ved grabs the boy by the hair, and draws him close, talking to him whilst jerking him around and ascending back to the second story. "Boy, understand I just saved your life. Do NOT make me regret doing so. I am no maniac, not like the others. They are correct on one thing though, the guards will kill you without hesitation to get to us. At this point your options are very limited. My companions will kill you if they find you without me to protect you, so you can't very well go running off, and the guards will kill you trying to get me so you can't very well go drawing their attention either. Also, at this point you owe my your life so you'vegot that going on as well. I expect your full cooperation, do we have an accord?"
Upon reaching the upper landing Ved shakes the boy's head in a nod before releasing his hair. Ved pauses a moment for the boy to concur of his own free will.

Spoiler: If the boy agrees and seems pacified

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Ved ushers the boy into the interrogation room, sheathing his sword and saying "We need to find the branding iron that did this, quickly now. showing the boy the brand on his arm and starting tword the fireplace.

Spoiler: If the boy tries to run or fight back in ANY way.

Show

Ved will attempt to decapitate the boy,before rushing in to the interrogation room, looking for the branding iron.

Spoiler: Mechanics

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This probably calls for a diplomacy check :(1d20+9)[11]

[lostsole31]

Alright, everyone (other than Ved)? People were eyeing that door, but then Amadeus mentioned something about continuing searching this building, which Grumblejack was into. What do you do?

[BuckGodot]

Donovan will smile but shake his head at the lawless executions and then say, "Fools. There are many, many more buildings we could search once we ESCAPE FROM THE PRISON. Let us get out of here. That should be our top priority."

[Blackhawk101]

Leonidas smirks at Donovan.
“Aye. Escape is our top priority but how is the question. A full frontal assault on the main gates; heavily fortified and well defended from above? Small chance of success. High chance of death.
We have several advantages: small, mobile armed fighting force with nothin’ to lose; Magic window that does sumptin’ to create a hole in an otherwise solid wall; and they don’t know where we’s at exactly. If we can keep together and find a way around the gate, hopefully we can find a boat to get off this rock before we is found. Least that’s the way I see it. Maybe you devil worshipper types can open a gate to hell and we just waltz through the flames! Well Not this pirate.”

[BuckGodot]

"All I know right now is, the longer we stay in one place, the more trapped we become..."

[Blackhawk101]

“Bile, the door if’n you please.” says Leonidas indicating the door to the East.

[lostsole31]

Bile, do you open the door to the east?

[oyzar]

"Our best bet might be putting the window against the wall and jumping through. It doesn't sound like we'll have great odds of fighting the rest of the gaurds, but the only way to find a way out is out through a door, now that we have no one to ask." He carefully moves to the door to open it, trying to be as silent and unnoticed as possible in case there are someone waiting outside.

Spoiler

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Unsure if I can stealth through the door? It'll be fairly noticeable for anyone watching the door directly, but they might not be doing so.

[lostsole31]

Bile looks out. There is a walkway that immediately turns left and follows the large building north and then wraps to the left against out of sight. Meanwhile, his immediate field of view is a large shrub near a garden. Behind that and taking up his field of view is a massive, multi-towered wall. His heart stops as he sees two guards patrolling above, but they do not appear to have seen or noticed him (yet).

What does Bile do?

[oyzar]

Bile quickly and quietly closes the door and tells the others of what he saw in rapid and hushed tones. "There is a walkway that immediately turns left and follows the large building north and then wraps to the left against out of sight. Right outside there's a large shrub near a garden. Behind that is a massive, multi-towered wall. There a two guards patroling above, but I don't think they spotted me. If we're going out this way, we need to use subterfuge or stealth to not be spotted. We could try sneaking out all of us, but I'm not sure how successful that would be."

[bcool999]

Hearing that they would require stealth to proceed out, Amadeus glances at Grumblejack before saying, ”If that’s the case, might I again suggest searching for Blackerly’s office or quarters? We may find a curative for our large friend here and having as many of us fighting fit as possible could make the difference between success and failure. If I am any judge of character then Blackerly is about as clean as a clogged sewer. He may have misappropriated funds for private use and possibly more besides pure coin.”

Amadeus surveys the others and continues, “Besides, even if they storm in here after us, it wouldn’t be the worst possible way to fight them. I would rather force their numbers through narrow doorways and have my back to a wall than face them in an open field and be surrounded.”

[GM_Dave]

Zepsus will consider Amadaeus'es plan, and agree. The offices would be a better direction than the yard. He will remind them about the other locked doors back the way they came.

[lostsole31]

So, where to next? (Don't worry, Ved, I will get to you.)

[GM_Dave]

Zep will move back out the way they came quietly, hoping to insure a clear path to the main hallway for the others, sword at the ready. He will check to see that the way is clear, then wave bile through to the locked doors near the large set.