[Asydia] Humble Beginnings

[EchoMirage]

Ah, finally, someone spoke in a common tongue.
You could have had enough common sense to learn Sen-Rabbin prior to coming here, Sigurd!, the knight chided himself.
"That sounds reasonable. If the orc had a legitimate claim on the box, he would have gone through legitimate channels or attempted to contact Tar-Sul peacefully. His instant resort to kidnapping lets me think otherwise; it's him choosing the rogue's path first which marks him as the villain. Still, I would hear his tale.
Tar-Sul was merely opportunistic, and I cannot think ill of him for picking up seemingly discarded goods. Especially considering that the Muck claims anything unguarded within the blink of an eye."
Seeing everyone had looted whatever they fancied, he proceeded towards the exit.
"Of course, hearing any tales from any orcs has several prerequisites - such as finding them and convincing them to talk. Whoever wants to hide behind the obvious target with the huge sturdy shield during said activity is free to follow."

[valadaar]

"Sorry, I've been rude.  Our friend here doesn't have friends rich enough to pay 500 for him out of the goodness of their hearts. I doubt the motivation of our employers. "

[Gossamer]

Zelas found himself lost for words. Was there no end to this sen-rabbi trickery? He pinched the base of his nose and blinked his eyes shut hard. Was Tamyra in on this as well? He had better stay away from all sen-rabbi women he decided... In fact, the sooner he got out of this country, the better. The swamp seemed to be rotting away on their hearts. He hoped fervently that the Rowanyna woman didn't rub off on the babe any of their wiley ways. He shook his head.

"Is nobody in this god forsaken swamp honest?" He asked resignedly.

Then he composed himself and continued.

"If they try to cheat us, we'll deal with them when the time comes. In fact, that matter might be well considered before we exit this cave. Perhaps we could take precautions before going further... I don't suppose anyone here knows how to set traps? One or two, near the exit would suffice to prevent any unwanted company from sneaking up on us. Otherwise, we'll just have to press on and hope we can handle everything Axtrami see's fit to throw at us."

[Shadoweagle]

And so the group pressed on. First, they backtracked their way to the fork in the cave, and with Sigurd leading the way and Nim providing light from her magic, they traveled down the other tunnel.

This cave meandered on further than the other tunnel, twisting and turning several times and slowly descending further into the earth. The occasional dripping of water from stalactites and the smell of damp was all that accompanied the party.

then, up ahead, the tunnel turned sharply once more; the flicker of torchlight shone around the corner and Sigurd signalled the party to stop. Voices could be heard ahead; at least two people were having a quiet conversation.

[Pariah]

"Put that light out, I'm going to take a look; I promise not to kill anyone taking a nap this time too."

Duxo made his way over to the bend and inched his head around the corner to get a look at the next room.

Rolled a 6 for stealth, +9 == 15

[valadaar]

A moments thought and the light winked out.

[Shadoweagle]

The light dimmed, Duxo cautiously stuck his head around the corner. The tunnel expanded into a fair size cavern. Dozens of man-sized stalactites and Stalagmites decorated the area, and several torches were hung along the right wall of the cave, casting long shadows across the cave. On the left side of the area, taking up nearly a full third of the cavern, was a pool of still water, its depth hidden by its murkiness. On the far side, the cave floor ascended quite steeply; the top rise met the far cave wall, where a small tunnel was capped by another rough, wooden door.

  At the far end of the cave two men of Sen-Rab descent stood, talking to one another. They were dressed in leathers and each had a short sword strapped to their belts. Duxo strained his ears to listen in on the conversation... pm incoming...

Satisfied, Duxo began to slowly draw his head back around the corner, but then he paused suddenly, spotting movement in the shadows! There! Not one, but two more people stood; a man and a woman, silently waiting in the shadows of two Stalagmites. Their eyes were peeled on this cave entrance, and if Nim's light still shone they would surely have spotted Duxo when he put his head out. The woman held a short bow, arrow nocked but not drawn back, and the man leaned against the rocky pillar, a spear propped up next to him.

I will draw a rough reference map for you lads tonight after work, hopefully, to help explain the cave!

[Pariah]

Duxo made his way back to the group,

"Alright, there's four of them in there.  Two of them are at the back of the cave engrossed in conversation, with another two guarding the entrance; do either of you two mages have a spell that could put at least the two guarding the entrance to sleep?  And Ser Knight, I promise not to slit their throats; I'd prefer not to get sucker punched by an over zealous mage again."

[valadaar]

"I can target either pair - or all of them if you bring em together somehow," Nim said quietly.

"Also, a small distraction while I cast the spell would be nice - I don't want to catch an arrow mid spell."

[EchoMirage]

"I think I could hold off four for a brief moment, if I get one of those stone pillars to cover my side."
There was a glint in the Ralkharan's eye, a defiant streak that somehow cherished the idea of fighting such odds.
He seemed also entirely serious about his ability to do so.

[Gossamer]

Zelas smiled under his cowl as he heard Duxo's insurance, glad to hear his lesson had sunken in. Still, he wasn't sure if the man would just be repeating his misdeeds. There was just something about the idea of the poor drunken guard killed in his sleep that didn't sit right with him. Probably because he could relate to that situation. But in this case, it didn't seem likely that all the guards could be spared, no matter what they decide on.

"I have a ghost sound spell. I  could make it seem like a battle is taking place, or like someone is shouting to them from far away, or even a small animal of some kind. But no guarantees that they will all come check it out though. If Ser Sigurd runs up to them alone, that would probably be our best bet to get them all engaged."

He paused to think for a moment.

"If the spell takes effect, I'll run up and tie at least one up with my rope, and perhaps disarm the others, see if we can't spare as many as possible." At that, he looked pointedly at Duxo, and then continued.

"Personally, I would see the woman spared at the very least, if possible. If the spell fails however..." He touched his hemisa in a silent prayer to Axtrami.

[caesar193]

"Perhaps if you used this spell, this 'ghost sound' spell, to make them hear sounds of intruders here, where we are, while we waited in ambush further back. Then we could defeat them either all together or in groups of two; a task that I believe might be far easier than the current arrangement."

Auxzali paused. "What are your thoughts, sir knight? To the best of my knowledge, you are the only one of us to be in a battle that allowed the use of tactics. I know that I myself am a doctor, not a warrior."

[Gossamer]

The Ralkharan was thinking hard on Auxzali's question seemingly, meanwhile Zelas could see the sneak Duxo getting more and more restless. Things were reaching a boiling point, not to mention the guards could end up hearing them if they went on whispering for much longer. Zelas rolled his eyes and took out a small lump of wool, he whispered the incantation into the wool and gestured to a nearby point down the tunnel.

The spell kicked in, and the sounds of a small battle started echoing throughout the tunnels, a muffled disembodied voice cried out indistinctly in what might pass as sen-rabbi, a cry for aid.

Okay, not sure how this works, but it counts as an illusion so I'm guessing I roll and add my Int mod; 16 +5, and the guards then do a will save to disbelieve.

Zelas looked at Nim and nodded. Here goes nothing he thought and squeezed his ouzala. He took the rope out of his backpack in preparation.

[Shadoweagle]

rolling the dice...

As soon as the clattering and banging down the tunnel began, the two guards at the front stood to attention. The woman drew an arrow into her bow, and the man grabbed his spear, "What's that...? The prisoners! They're free!"
The woman's voice could be heard; "d**nit, Jorge is useless; the bastard must have gotten drunk again! Come on!"
"Wait!" a third voice further back yelled in an uncertain manner, "It doesn't sound right..."

If the others listened to the third guard, it didn't show, because soon three sets of footsteps came clomping loudly towards the tunnel mouth. Around the corner came the two front guards and one of the rear which Duxo had spied on just moments ago. The bandits yelled in surprise as they rounded the bend, nearly running headlong into Sigurd's Tower shield!

3 guards have come, one disbelieved the spell and is holding back for now. The guards are surprised by your presence!
Initiative is as follows:
Valadaar
Pariah
Gossamer
Bandits (after surprise round)
Caesar
Echo
Tar-Sul
Bandits are flat-footed and surprised for round 1. Do what you will

[valadaar]

As soon as the guards began to react, Nim was drawing upon her magic.  In their minds, the kiss of the warm afternoon sun invited them to take a nap.

4hd of targets must save vs will
(15) to avoid nappy nappy time...

[Shadoweagle]

saving rolls: 7, 3, 14

Under the gentle guidance of Nim's suggestion, the two male guards immediately slumped to the ground, succumbing to the weave of her arcanery. The woman stood strong for several seconds, blinking in confusion as she attempted to fight off the lull of sleep, but finally she too fell to one knee, and then dropped fully to the ground, the enchantment wrapping itself around her and sending her mind to dream.

3 down, sleepy! One unaccounted for.

[Pariah]

As the three guards fell, Duxo stepped around the corner with his sling whipping through the air. The slung bullet shrieked outwards, only to end it's journey hitting the far wall, its intended target entirely unharmed.

[Gossamer]

The second the woman slumped to the ground, Zelas was there to tie her up with his rope.

Hempen The DC to escape hemp rope bonds is equal to 20 + the CMB (-1) of the creature that tied the bonds. Ropes do not need to make a check every round to maintain the pin. If the DC to escape is higher than 20 + the tying creatures CMB, the tied up creature cannot escape from the bonds, even with a natural 20 on the check. This rope has 2 hit points and can be burst with a DC 23 Strength check.

It doesn't say what kind of action this is, but I'm taking for granted that it's at least a standard so that's the end of my turn.

[caesar193]

Stepping out of the curve after Duxo, Auxzali tried, once again, his only ranged option. Once again, he called upon the power of Axtrami to send a Storm Burst towards the guard.

Attack Roll: (16:06:44) Minion: caesar193 rolls 1d20 and gets 7. I'm gonna assume that's a miss.

As it did with the rats, the sphere hurtled and crashed against the wall.

[Shadoweagle]

The far wall of the cave wept rubble and rocks as Duxo and Auxzali relentlessly assaulted it. Meanwhile, the unharmed guard flinched; the projectiles had missed him soundly, but he was now fully aware of the trickery of the party. Sigurd noticed the man draw his shortsword, but then turn to look at the far door in the cavern - he was going to make a break for it and probably retrieve re-inforcements!

The Ralkharan knight could not stand for this! Somehow, time seemed to slow as Sigurd stepped out and raised his tower shield high. A whispered Prayer to Zevoah, the One-God, was barely heard out of Sigurd's lips before he tensed his muscles and gritted his teeth. He ran.

The charge felt like it took minutes, not seconds - his footsteps dropping in time with his heartbeat. Ahead, the bandit gasped and began to turn to run, but he had hesitated too long. The bandit made a desperate swing as Sigurd caught up to him, but the sword rung off the shield as though striking a gong, not slowing him in the least.

Sigurd hadn't even bothered drawing his sword. He rammed into the guard with the full force of his metal-clad body, the Tower shield caught his foe in the chest squarely! The bandit yelled as he flung back, stumbling on his feet in an effort to remain upright. He failed, though, and rolled without grace a full ten feet back from the Knight. Where he landed in a crumpled, groaning heap.


Meanwhile, Tar-Sul knelt down next to Zelas. With a wordless nod to the Wizardly sand-walker, he aided the man in tying the slumbering foes' hands together.


Sigurd attempts to Charge and Bullrush as a full-round action, with the intent to knock down.

Attack of Opportunity for bandit: (11:54:01) Minion: Shadoweagle rolls 1d20 and gets 16. Miss!

(11:53:16) Minion: Shadoweagle rolls 1d20 and gets 16.
+2 Charge bonus to Bullrush
+4 CMB
= 22 vs Bandit's CMD of 14

Hit!

Final bandit is knocked prone in the cavern.
The three sleeping bandits have been bound roughly by Zelas, with Tar-Sul's aid.

Quite a successful round! Round 2:
Val is up!

[valadaar]

"That went well. Nice charge Sir Knight." Nim said.

She walked up to the fallen bandit and leveled her crossbow at him.

"Might want to surrender. Quietly."

[Shadoweagle]

Intimidation: Success

The guard began to push himself to his feet, but as he turned, he went cross-eyed onto the tip of Nim's crossbow. Sighing, he slumped onto the ground and dropped his shortsword with a clatter to the rocky floor.
"What did you do to Kir-Tyn, Ruslan and Tema?" He asked, eyeing the group as they walked into the cavern.


Combat is over. Post as thou will!

[Gossamer]

Zelas swaggered up grinning. "Do not worry yourself man, they are all safely tucked away, sleeping like babes. Less harm came to them than to you, I would say." He said and kicked the sword out of reach from the man.

"Now then..." He started and reached for his flint box, remembering once again that this place probably wasn't the best to be smoking in. He sighed and put it back in his pack.

"What can you tell us about this white orc you are working for? And why you saw fit to kidnap these two." He indicated towards Duxo and Tar-Sul.

"And remember, so far you have all been unharmed, if you wish it to remain that way, please be so kind as to co-operate. I doubt they are paying you enough to be loyal until death anyways." He added empathically.

[valadaar]

"There are things worse then death," she said as sweetly as she could manage.

[Shadoweagle]

Zelas swaggered up grinning. "Do not worry yourself man, they are all safely tucked away, sleeping like babes. Less harm came to them than to you, I would say." He said and kicked the sword out of reach from the man.

"Now then..." He started and reached for his flint box, remembering once again that this place probably wasn't the best to be smoking in. He sighed and put it back in his pack.

"What can you tell us about this white orc you are working for? And why you saw fit to kidnap these two." He indicated towards Duxo and Tar-Sul.

"And remember, so far you have all been unharmed, if you wish it to remain that way, please be so kind as to co-operate. I doubt they are paying you enough to be loyal until death anyways." He added empathically.

The bandit stared at the party, his eyes flicking back and forth between them, and then he seemed to deflate a little, slumping and peering to the floor, "Look, times is hard, right? Korkarr told me he would make me rich if i joined his band! I got a kid to feed, y'know!"
He raised his eyes to Zelas, "The white-orc - Korkarr - he's a mean ol' brute! He runs this little operation from these caves; we run out to the roads and hold up travelers and caravans; bring the loot back here." he paused, then looked to Sigurd pleadingly, "Friend knight, please - your kind is just! Let me leave - Korkarr will kill me if he finds out i gave up! I swear i will leave and never do wrong again!"

He turned back to Zelas, Addressing his other question. "These two? Well this one stole a box that Korkarr keeps his most treasured possessions in," the bandit nodded to Tar-Sul, who shoot his head in denial, "I found it in the swamp!"

"Well, you took it and we heard you bragging about finding something at Werstone. We had to bring you in. We would have let you go you know, if you just gave it back."
"The scarred one? He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was listening into the boss's conversation so we had to whack him. We brought him here to decide what to with him!"

The bandit rubbed his chest painfully where Sigurd had rammed him. "Look, if you're goin' for the boss, he's in his chambers counting his cut of the latest haul. When you get to the corridor take the door to the left side of the hall to his room. The right one is a fake door - it's trapped in case people like you make it in here! Now please, can I go?"