Lam looks between Sha and Saffron, having found himself in the conversation all of a sudden. He does his best to remember the names of the folks in front of him. In a small gesture, body language uncommon for a bugbear, he points a claw at Saffron and repeats her name: “Saffron Gale.” Then after a moment of thought: “Saffi.” He does the same for the kind tabaxi, taking a moment to remember what he had said earlier: “Sha…gravis.”Then he points at himself: “Lam.”
He turns back to Sha and answers his question in goblin, his voice a low rumble: “Ich bin freiwillig hierher gekommen. Ich war… um zu überleben, machte ich… unehrenhaft Sachen. Ich bin um mich zu beweisen gekommen, beweisen dass ich… ehrliche Arbeit machen kann.”
“I came here willingly. I was… to survive, I did things that were… dishonorable. I came to prove myself, prove I can do… honest work.”
Here is what you would see in Lam’s face with that insight:
Lots of guilt. Lam is not proud of what he had to do to survive up until he was offered a chance to come here. Also determination- you can tell he is a willing guest who came here on purpose. Imagine what it would have taken to bring him here against his will! He is speaking the truth, though it’s not a thing he finds easy to talk about.
As Saoirseglances at the firbolg, she's surprised to receive a rather shy wave instead from an actual answer. She tilts her head, curiously. "Funny guy", she thinks, "perhaps he's just shy?". As she herself hasn't met that many people from outside her order, she doesn't really know if this is a common trait to all firbolgs, or just to this specific firbolg.
In any case, after a second of doubt, the genasi waves back at him and says:
Billy looks at the Genasi talking to him with such open disdain, at the Tabaxi maligning the HMC, the Bugbear's furrowed brow, the Firbolg's plain curiosity, and the Changeling's human face, all while still shaken by the unexpected noise. The cheery, welcoming mask he'd been holding wavers, and Billy's face shows a complex mix of emotions. As he speaks he seems less sure of himself than he had been.
"I'm sorry, that was a poor choice of words. So soon after arrival here, I guess most people are still 'unwilling guests...' I'm used to prisoners, or coworkers as I prefer to say, who've either spent time locked in a dank dungeon somewhere, or who came to join the HMC of their own volition. I was a cleric once, and when that didn't work out, I was a drunk. While I was a drunk, I was a gambler, and when that didn't work so well, I was a cheater. That didn't work out either, and for two years I was in the dark, in the pauper's dungeon in Springdawn. When I was transferred three years ago to serve the rest of my sentence with the HMC, It felt like an answered prayer. I've become a man I'm proud of again, and found my way back to the Gods. For people like me, the way we're treated here usually feels like a big improvement right away. But since we came up to establish this post in Silver Stream Valley, things have been a little different."
He frowns, and trails off for a moment, trying to find the right words. As he continues, frustration and genuine concern are plain on his face.
"Now Springdawn city is sending prisoners straight up to Coldwater, without even explaining what it is! And there's so many people being sent in, they often don't even get to meet the Captain or anyone for days! And we're suddenly fighting people, not just building or mining - which I am not happy about. A long-term worker, just days away from earning his freedom, was killed in a skirmish last week, and Captain Jonah has been furious ever since. The Captain brought back an elf as a non-work-prisoner - a 'prisoner of war' he says! - a couple of days ago, and that is not normal. I promise, as soon as all of this gets back to normal, you'll see that there's no better way to be treated after being convicted of a crime. The HMC offers real redemption! At least, I think we still do."
Billy's eyes water a bit. You do not see any notable equipment on him, other than the hammer he proudly showed before, and a holy book clearly tied to his waste.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't say all of this to newcomers. I guess I'm just on edge. Give it some time."
An alarm bell suddenly begins sounding from deeper within the keep, and the four guards within the courtyard bristle. The two who had grabbed something to eat rush over to the two who were still standing at the base of the stairs. They have a brief conversation in Dwarvish. First the guard with a spear who had eaten speaks, and then the guard with the crossbow, still standing on the stairs.
"For fanden da! Jeg havde håbet at den klokke aldrig skulle bruges. Altså, to skal blive her og være vagt over aller vores nye beboere. Vi kan tage afsted, da vi fik lidt at spise. I bliver her."
"God plan, Jonas. Vi ses forhåbentlige snart! Det kan godt være det er bare for sjov, eller bare en øvelse. Det håber jeg, i hvert fald."
"Dammit! I had hoped never to use that bell! OK, so, two people need to stick behind and guard all our new residents. We can head out, as we aleady got some food. You stay here."
"Good plan, Jonas. See you soon, I hope! It could just be a prank, or a drill. I certainly hope so."
The first pair of guards rush up the stairs and deeper into the keep. At the same time, Grommit the goblin comes speeding out of the kitchen, moving much more swiftly than any would have expected. He leaps up the stairs 5 at a time, flying by the other guards. The remaining guard with a crossbow shouts, in common, at the assembled prisoners, a little shakily, with a couple of dwarven phrases muttered as he speaks. He doesn't seem to be used to speaking authoritatively to a group.
"Alright, everyone, listen up! Um, that bell is a code red, which means that contract employees and indentured servants who've earned their weapons back all need to go deal with... something. Billy, you should go too, technically, but it's good to have an extra eye on the newcomers. Altså, I'm sure you'll all earn our trust in the next couple of weeks, but since you're all new here, we do still need to watch you to make sure you aren't up to something. This should be over very soon hvis Moradin tillader det. Please relax, and continue eating, but DO NOT try to leave the Yard, and please stay where we can see you!"
If Moradin allows it.
Billy looks half in panic, and just stands where he is. He clutches his book to his chest.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
The fire genasi's expression soften after hearing Billy's tale. She's still doesnt fully trust him - or anyone in this place for that matter - but she would have to be a literal piece of coal to not be at least a little empathic towards what he's just disclosed.
I'll roll a little Insight anyway to check that he's not really lying or hiding something. Just in case. 6
- I apologize for my harshness, Billy. But, you see, I was sent here for trying to protect a poor soul who was being beaten down in the middle of the steet for not paying his taxes. I tried to reason with the one beating him, a knight, so he would stop. So he would see that such display of violence wouldn't earn him the money he seeked, but prevent the poor man from ever paying again, as the knitght clearly intended to cripple him. Or worse.
Saoirseshakes her head, reliving the scene and still not believing it happened.
- A knight, for crying out loud! Shouldn't they be protecting people instead of hurting them?Am I really the one that needs to seek this redemption you talk about? Not the knight and his friends? - she laughts bitterly, and adds, mostly to herself -...to think that I was so happy that I had finally been allowed to visit Springdawn! And here I am, locked - she contains an "again". It was not that she was literally locked in the chloister. But she wasn't really free to leave whenever she chose to, right?
"And what I'm going to do now? Has anyone in the order been informed of my whereabouts? Or are they still wondering where the hell did I go to buy the supplies we needed...?"
The sound of the alarm bell stops the fire genasi line of thought abruptly and she looks at Billy, not really knowing if he will stay or not.
Hemlock returns the smile of Saoirse as she waves at him, and wanders a bit closer to her and Billy.
"I'm Hemlock", he says in his usual drawl, before waiting patiently as the small one called Billy tells his tale. It was a little confusing, with talk of dungeons and gamblers, but his ears prick up at the mention of an elf.
He holds his hand out in front of him, in a gesture that he wants to say something but doesn't want to interrupt as Billy finishes and Saoirse speaks again. Then the alarm goes off and there is a lot of rushing about and talking in a language he doesn't understand. He stands there confused, until they return to speaking in common.
They want him to relax when obviously a lot is happening, and he feels that is not going to be easy. He moves to the wall and spots a rather sad looking climber with a number of buds that look like they will never open. Reaching out, he touches it and speaks softly in the druidic tongue, "Agor blaguryn bach". As he does so the flowers bloom, bringing a smile to his face and seemingly calming him. He leans forward to smell them.
“Shepherd,” Sha watches as Hemlock wanders to the wall. He follows and observes the blooming, “I believe your kin are sometimes called shepherds. Seems there is some truth about firbolgs. Do you know what is happening, or why you are here?” Sha thinks about his arguments with the priests of Springdawn how they used the HMC to rid themselves of his personal beliefs. Now he sees a creature known to be a caretaker of woodlands and a recluse, his curiosity (as any cat’s) has overcome him. “Do you need anything? If I can I will help you.”
Lam is instantly on alert from the alarm- his eyes go wide as he tries to follow the flurry of motion from all the guards. Some threat is clearly here, but nobody will say what it is. Was he not brought here to prove himself? After everyone is finished speaking, Lam lets out a huff, points to where Grommit ran off to, and barks softly: “Let me help.”
Saffi listens to Billy's obviously disturbed logic, halfway expecting him to begin speaking out of both sides of her mouth. Her very judgmental, raised eyebrow rests a bit as he carries on. He's bought in. The HMC is probably the only thing that's been able to bring stability to his life. While not quite relaxing to an expression of compassion, the changeling's face softens. It remains so, until Billy begins bantering on about the HMC's prisoner.
Maybe not an inherently bad guy, she thinks to herself, but very clearly brainwashed.
As the alarm bells sound, and the guard explains the situation, Saffi closes the gap between herself and the Bugbear, clearly thinking this mountain of muscle would be a useful escape ally. Her eyes become round as saucers when Lam requests to aid their captors. Taking a few steps away, she looks around the yard, halfway hoping to see someone using the chaos as a cover to try to pull something over on the HMC. Everybody, however, seems to be still trying to get to know one another. She looks around again at each of them, deciding that no one, in particular, looks like a better way out than any of the others. With the very slightest detectable eyeroll, she walks back to Lam and the guard.
"Yeah, give us our gear and we can help clean thisup," she offers to the guards, whichever will listen. "I'm a crack shot with my bow, a dagger, pretty much anything pointy that I can toss. C'mon you don't know what they're facing out there. You may not trust us, but what if all your buddies are snuffed out and it's just us and you? Probably better to establish that we're on, uh, the same side early on."
Persuasion? 10 (add two to the result if you'd prefer deception to persuasion)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Walks in [insert absurd situation].
Honorary Leader in the Pixie Peewee Powderpuff Pals!
"Well hello", Hemlock says in his slow speech pattern to Sha as he turns around and sees the tabaxi, a smile still on his face.
"Shepherd, yes we are called that by some", he says.
When asked whether he knows why he is here, he looks about at his stone wall confines. "In this place? There was an accident", he says simply whilst squatting so he is not towering over Sha.
"Amongst you folk in general? The stars guided me, led me on a path to find out who is destroying the forests. Who it is that lives out of balance with nature, and if I can explain to them how misguided they are".
"I am Hemlock", he says again the name he uses amongst the other folk, still liking the ring to it.
"I do not believe I need anything, although I would like my amulet back", he says pondering the question for a few moments in the manner of one who has all the time in the world.
"How about you? Why are you here?", he adds curiously.
The Dwarven Crossbow Guard says "I'm sorry, the trust isn't there yet. Back away from us, we need to be able to see everyone. That is not a request, it is an order."
Shield Guard is more direct. He flips his spear around and, using the butt of the spear, roughly pushes Lam backwards. MMM, please make a strength saving throw if you resist being pushed - DC 12, or pushed back 5 feet. Roll lower than 5, fall prone.
Before Billy can respond to everything going on around him, there is a smaller, but still jarring, crashing sound on the wall behind him. He looks behind it in shock, and then after a moment, a roughly 6-foot wide, 6 foot tall section of the wall crumbles inwards. Billy tries to jump out of the way, but is not quite fast enough. (He rolled a 2.) He is knocked prone, and pinned down, some large chunks of stone landing on his legs. Those of you standing within 15 feet of him can just barely hear the cracking of bone under the rumble of falling stone.
"Help! Oh gods." His voice weakens, and he speaks without looking at anyone in particular. "Moradin, giv mig dine styrke, dine beskyttelse. Har jeg genfortjent min plads i din rigedom?" Billy falls silent, fainting from the pain.
Moradin, give me your strength, your protection. Have I re-earned a place in your kingdom?
Two elves step through the hole in the wall. The one leading carries matched shortswords, the one behind walks with his bow drawn taught. They both appear surprised to see people here, and speak to each other in Elvish.
Shortswords: "¡Se suponía que nadie debía estar aquí!"
Bow: "Estos deben ser otros prisioneros. Rhys está distrayendo a sus fuerzas por la entrada principal, ¡así que sigue el plan!"Bow turns his head and shouts behind him. "Esteban, dispara a cualquiera que intente escapar, hasta que volvamos con Cylence. No sabemos de qué lado están."
Shortswords shouts for all to hear, in common, but with a noticeable accent. "We are here to - pues - liberarte one of our own. We wish no more violensa than needs! Let us pass, and there is no issue. Once we have free him and leave again, you all can escape too. Not until we go, yes?!"
Crossbow Guard fires a bolt at Shortswords, who deflects the bolt with his blade. Crossbow shouts loudly "turn back now, or die here!"
(I'm at work and don't have time to set up Owlbear and such until much later today. So, because there's time, please everyone Roll Initiative.)
Hemlock stands up as everything seems to happen at once. The guards start pushing the bugbear, the wall behind Billy topples onto him and a pair of elves appear.
Saoirsecatches Hemlock's name and that's about everything she's able to do, as Billy's story, along with her answer really comes in the way of her answering the firbolg back. She sighs. Perhaps she'll be able to catch up with him later. And the same goes for the tabaxi, Sha right?, who has found time to speak with the firbolg, and also with the bugbear and the human-looking changeling. The fire genasi sees the last two of them trying to persuade the guards to give them their equipment, but the guards seem adamant in not trusting any of them yet. Saoirsethinks of joining their attempts, but the sudden collapse of the wall - trapping and hurting Billy - prevents her from doing so.
Upon seeing the elves entering and speaking among themselves, she answers back looking directly at the one with the bow (who seems to be in charge in this specific group, as he is giving the orders). The tense situation makes her hard to find the elven words, so she blurts a mixture of Elvish and Common.
-¡Acabamos de llegar here! ¡No estamos with them!- and she points to the guards - Look... no tenemos nuestras armas. And also, - at this point Saoirsepoints to Lam - mirad cómo le han tratado por ofrecerse a defender el lugar. No sabíamos quien estaba atacando, pero si habeis venido a liberar a vuestro compatriota ... - and lifts her hands as a sign that she won't attack - ... no os lo impediré. Just let us help him! - this time, she points to Billy.
When she says this she looks at Lam, imagining that if she joins forces with the bugbear, they will surely succeed in freeing the dwarf.
Saoirse's initiative: 20 (rolled in the private thread. Sorry for the mess, DM!).
Free action: speak to the elf with the bow in Elvish/Spanish. She basically says that they (the party) are not with the guards (the proof of this is that they have not weapons). She also points out how the guard has treated Lam when he's offered to help protect the place. They (the party) didn't know what the attack was about, but seeing that they've come to free a compatriot, Saoirse states that she will not interfer. But asks them to allow the party to help Billy. I may need to roll Persuasion for this: 14 (rolled in the sheet).
Action: Try to free Billy from the rubble. I will not move to do so until I see the elves understand we mean no harm (so I guess this means I Hold my action until they agree? If they do). Can I just help Lam roll with advantage instead of rolling myself? If I cannot (or if he prefers doing another thing, of course), I will roll .. what? A general strength check? 15 Or Athletics? 21. Both rolled in the sheet. EDIT: Now that I think of it, I should have probably just rolled once and add the +3 in the Athletics check. So it should really be an 18, right?)
Movement: My token was pretty near Billy. I've just put it nearer to reflect that I intend to free him from under the rubble.
Lam stands firm, and the Dwarf pulls back his spear. A moment later, the wall breaks open, and his spear and shield are back in his hands. His stance is one of a soldier, though not an experienced one.
The Elf with a bow fires back at the dwarf with a crossbow. The arrow flies straight and true. It feels simultaneous for Lam and Saffi that they see the arrow sink into the flesh of Crossbow Dwarf's shoulder, they feel the arrow's wind ruffle their fur/hair, and they hear it whistle past their ears. The dwarf is bleeding from what looks like a mortal wound, but he holds his stance and his crossbow, ready to reload. Then the elf's words reach everyone's ear. "Stay out of this! For your own sakes!"
Hemlock looks from the dwarves to the elves and back again, knowing he holds no allegiance to either group. He sees Billy under the rubble and hears Saoirse implore the elves to let them help him.
He keeps his distance and studies both the dwarves and the elves, looking to see if there is any sign either would back down if he explained that violence was not the answer.
Shield Dwarf shouts at Lam and Siff, and any prisoner listening: "You want to help us and earn our trust? STOP THEM!"
He steps directly in front of Crossbow Dwarf, and takes a defensive stance (Crossbow has 1/2 cover relative to Bow, Shield Dwarf takes "Dodge" Action). Shield looks back and forth between Lam and Siff, his facial expression pleading with them to help.
Hemlock can infer
Despite struggling to understand exactly what these people's motivations are, Hemlock has a very good sense of people, and one thing is perfectly clear: Both the Dwarves and the Elves believe in their cause with true and brave hearts, and nobody is about to back down. These people would be nearly impossible to talk into not fighting each other.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Saffi's eyes widen as the wall blows inward, watching helplessly as Billy is crushed by the stones. The changeling is, suddenly, of two minds: she wants to help the now pitiable dwarf, but also sees an opportunity to escape. After she notices the elves, she cups her hands over her ears, turns away and crouches as if cowering. She uses the chaos and distraction to slightly change her appearance, thinning her features and elongating her ears to match those of the elves. Turning back to the group, she appears to be an elfish version of the human that stood in the yard mere moments earlier.
Initiative: 12
Not sure if that'll count as Saffi's first turn. If so, I'll go ahead and use the action to shape change, if not I'll take the action as it comes. Also, let me know if you'd like a deception or performance roll to hide the actual shape change process from the "intruders."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Walks in [insert absurd situation].
Honorary Leader in the Pixie Peewee Powderpuff Pals!
Crossbow steadies his weapon on Shield's shoulder, lines up the shot, and fires, the bolt flying through where Saffi'shead was a moment ago, before she crouched and covered her ears. Shortswords sees it coming a moment too late, and the bolt sinks deeply into his plant-fiber leather armor. Deep enough that anyone can see it's pierced him. Crossbow initially takes Saffi's movement as a sign that she's decided to heed warnings and get out of the fray. "Stay down," he barks.
Shortswords dashes through the yard, ducking into the entryway to the small cafeteria. He attempts to find some cover from Crossbow, while keeping his weapons at the ready. As he runs across the mess they made of the wall, rubble shifts, and an involuntary groan escapes from an unconscious, but alive, Billy. Now behind some cover, Shortswords feels at the crossbow bolt in his torso. He looks determined. He's had worse.
To Lam, it seems like everything is happening at once. People are shouting in languages he doesn’t understand. He was just pushed by one of the dwarves who is now begging him to help. He has no idea who to trust in this situation. He wants to roar as loud as he can to make everything go away. But he doesn’t do that. The fire genasi points and starts talking about him, and he starts to concentrate on her voice to ignore the roaring in his own head. He doesn’t understand most of what she says, but she seems to have a plan, and he understands the last part: ”Just let us help him.”Billy makes an unconscious groan.
Lam has something to do that can help. He grunts loudly, ”I will help Billy.” Then rushes over to the rubble where Billy is buried.
Movement+action: Lam is going to take a full dash to get next to Billy and the rubble. He is not going to wait for any sort of permission to do this, but he does loudly announce his intentions.
If he is allowed to remove any rubble as a free object interaction, he will do that- otherwise, getting to Billy will be his whole turn.
Lam looks between Sha and Saffron, having found himself in the conversation all of a sudden. He does his best to remember the names of the folks in front of him. In a small gesture, body language uncommon for a bugbear, he points a claw at Saffron and repeats her name: “Saffron Gale.” Then after a moment of thought: “Saffi.” He does the same for the kind tabaxi, taking a moment to remember what he had said earlier: “Sha…gravis.” Then he points at himself: “Lam.”
He turns back to Sha and answers his question in goblin, his voice a low rumble: “Ich bin freiwillig hierher gekommen. Ich war… um zu überleben, machte ich… unehrenhaft Sachen. Ich bin um mich zu beweisen gekommen, beweisen dass ich… ehrliche Arbeit machen kann.”
“I came here willingly. I was… to survive, I did things that were… dishonorable. I came to prove myself, prove I can do… honest work.”
Here is what you would see in Lam’s face with that insight:
Lots of guilt. Lam is not proud of what he had to do to survive up until he was offered a chance to come here. Also determination- you can tell he is a willing guest who came here on purpose. Imagine what it would have taken to bring him here against his will! He is speaking the truth, though it’s not a thing he finds easy to talk about.
As Saoirse glances at the firbolg, she's surprised to receive a rather shy wave instead from an actual answer. She tilts her head, curiously. "Funny guy", she thinks, "perhaps he's just shy?". As she herself hasn't met that many people from outside her order, she doesn't really know if this is a common trait to all firbolgs, or just to this specific firbolg.
In any case, after a second of doubt, the genasi waves back at him and says:
- Uhm...hello? I'm Saoirse.
She finds herself unexpectedly smiling at him.
Down, down, down by the river ♫
Nessa | Alana | Ashur | Saxa | Saoirse | Auriel | Leeta
Billy looks at the Genasi talking to him with such open disdain, at the Tabaxi maligning the HMC, the Bugbear's furrowed brow, the Firbolg's plain curiosity, and the Changeling's human face, all while still shaken by the unexpected noise. The cheery, welcoming mask he'd been holding wavers, and Billy's face shows a complex mix of emotions. As he speaks he seems less sure of himself than he had been.
"I'm sorry, that was a poor choice of words. So soon after arrival here, I guess most people are still 'unwilling guests...' I'm used to prisoners, or coworkers as I prefer to say, who've either spent time locked in a dank dungeon somewhere, or who came to join the HMC of their own volition. I was a cleric once, and when that didn't work out, I was a drunk. While I was a drunk, I was a gambler, and when that didn't work so well, I was a cheater. That didn't work out either, and for two years I was in the dark, in the pauper's dungeon in Springdawn. When I was transferred three years ago to serve the rest of my sentence with the HMC, It felt like an answered prayer. I've become a man I'm proud of again, and found my way back to the Gods. For people like me, the way we're treated here usually feels like a big improvement right away. But since we came up to establish this post in Silver Stream Valley, things have been a little different."
He frowns, and trails off for a moment, trying to find the right words. As he continues, frustration and genuine concern are plain on his face.
"Now Springdawn city is sending prisoners straight up to Coldwater, without even explaining what it is! And there's so many people being sent in, they often don't even get to meet the Captain or anyone for days! And we're suddenly fighting people, not just building or mining - which I am not happy about. A long-term worker, just days away from earning his freedom, was killed in a skirmish last week, and Captain Jonah has been furious ever since. The Captain brought back an elf as a non-work-prisoner - a 'prisoner of war' he says! - a couple of days ago, and that is not normal. I promise, as soon as all of this gets back to normal, you'll see that there's no better way to be treated after being convicted of a crime. The HMC offers real redemption! At least, I think we still do."
Billy's eyes water a bit. You do not see any notable equipment on him, other than the hammer he proudly showed before, and a holy book clearly tied to his waste.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't say all of this to newcomers. I guess I'm just on edge. Give it some time."
An alarm bell suddenly begins sounding from deeper within the keep, and the four guards within the courtyard bristle. The two who had grabbed something to eat rush over to the two who were still standing at the base of the stairs. They have a brief conversation in Dwarvish. First the guard with a spear who had eaten speaks, and then the guard with the crossbow, still standing on the stairs.
"For fanden da! Jeg havde håbet at den klokke aldrig skulle bruges. Altså, to skal blive her og være vagt over aller vores nye beboere. Vi kan tage afsted, da vi fik lidt at spise. I bliver her."
"God plan, Jonas. Vi ses forhåbentlige snart! Det kan godt være det er bare for sjov, eller bare en øvelse. Det håber jeg, i hvert fald."
"Dammit! I had hoped never to use that bell! OK, so, two people need to stick behind and guard all our new residents. We can head out, as we aleady got some food. You stay here."
"Good plan, Jonas. See you soon, I hope! It could just be a prank, or a drill. I certainly hope so."
The first pair of guards rush up the stairs and deeper into the keep. At the same time, Grommit the goblin comes speeding out of the kitchen, moving much more swiftly than any would have expected. He leaps up the stairs 5 at a time, flying by the other guards. The remaining guard with a crossbow shouts, in common, at the assembled prisoners, a little shakily, with a couple of dwarven phrases muttered as he speaks. He doesn't seem to be used to speaking authoritatively to a group.
"Alright, everyone, listen up! Um, that bell is a code red, which means that contract employees and indentured servants who've earned their weapons back all need to go deal with... something. Billy, you should go too, technically, but it's good to have an extra eye on the newcomers. Altså, I'm sure you'll all earn our trust in the next couple of weeks, but since you're all new here, we do still need to watch you to make sure you aren't up to something. This should be over very soon hvis Moradin tillader det. Please relax, and continue eating, but DO NOT try to leave the Yard, and please stay where we can see you!"
If Moradin allows it.
Billy looks half in panic, and just stands where he is. He clutches his book to his chest.
DM: Heavy is the Head
The fire genasi's expression soften after hearing Billy's tale. She's still doesnt fully trust him - or anyone in this place for that matter - but she would have to be a literal piece of coal to not be at least a little empathic towards what he's just disclosed.
I'll roll a little Insight anyway to check that he's not really lying or hiding something. Just in case. 6
- I apologize for my harshness, Billy. But, you see, I was sent here for trying to protect a poor soul who was being beaten down in the middle of the steet for not paying his taxes. I tried to reason with the one beating him, a knight, so he would stop. So he would see that such display of violence wouldn't earn him the money he seeked, but prevent the poor man from ever paying again, as the knitght clearly intended to cripple him. Or worse.
Saoirse shakes her head, reliving the scene and still not believing it happened.
- A knight, for crying out loud! Shouldn't they be protecting people instead of hurting them? Am I really the one that needs to seek this redemption you talk about? Not the knight and his friends? - she laughts bitterly, and adds, mostly to herself - ...to think that I was so happy that I had finally been allowed to visit Springdawn! And here I am, locked - she contains an "again". It was not that she was literally locked in the chloister. But she wasn't really free to leave whenever she chose to, right?
"And what I'm going to do now? Has anyone in the order been informed of my whereabouts? Or are they still wondering where the hell did I go to buy the supplies we needed...?"
The sound of the alarm bell stops the fire genasi line of thought abruptly and she looks at Billy, not really knowing if he will stay or not.
Down, down, down by the river ♫
Nessa | Alana | Ashur | Saxa | Saoirse | Auriel | Leeta
Hemlock returns the smile of Saoirse as she waves at him, and wanders a bit closer to her and Billy.
"I'm Hemlock", he says in his usual drawl, before waiting patiently as the small one called Billy tells his tale. It was a little confusing, with talk of dungeons and gamblers, but his ears prick up at the mention of an elf.
He holds his hand out in front of him, in a gesture that he wants to say something but doesn't want to interrupt as Billy finishes and Saoirse speaks again. Then the alarm goes off and there is a lot of rushing about and talking in a language he doesn't understand. He stands there confused, until they return to speaking in common.
They want him to relax when obviously a lot is happening, and he feels that is not going to be easy. He moves to the wall and spots a rather sad looking climber with a number of buds that look like they will never open. Reaching out, he touches it and speaks softly in the druidic tongue, "Agor blaguryn bach". As he does so the flowers bloom, bringing a smile to his face and seemingly calming him. He leans forward to smell them.
“Shepherd,” Sha watches as Hemlock wanders to the wall. He follows and observes the blooming, “I believe your kin are sometimes called shepherds. Seems there is some truth about firbolgs. Do you know what is happening, or why you are here?” Sha thinks about his arguments with the priests of Springdawn how they used the HMC to rid themselves of his personal beliefs. Now he sees a creature known to be a caretaker of woodlands and a recluse, his curiosity (as any cat’s) has overcome him. “Do you need anything? If I can I will help you.”
Sha does not make any sign that he knows Dwarven.
*Sha-gravis *Fjörn Bhrünt *Leif Aulderoot *Saltstrider *Eron Colborn
Lam is instantly on alert from the alarm- his eyes go wide as he tries to follow the flurry of motion from all the guards. Some threat is clearly here, but nobody will say what it is. Was he not brought here to prove himself? After everyone is finished speaking, Lam lets out a huff, points to where Grommit ran off to, and barks softly: “Let me help.”
Persuasion roll (?): 2. A nat 1!
Walks in [insert absurd situation].
Honorary Leader in the Pixie Peewee Powderpuff Pals!
"Well hello", Hemlock says in his slow speech pattern to Sha as he turns around and sees the tabaxi, a smile still on his face.
"Shepherd, yes we are called that by some", he says.
When asked whether he knows why he is here, he looks about at his stone wall confines. "In this place? There was an accident", he says simply whilst squatting so he is not towering over Sha.
"Amongst you folk in general? The stars guided me, led me on a path to find out who is destroying the forests. Who it is that lives out of balance with nature, and if I can explain to them how misguided they are".
"I am Hemlock", he says again the name he uses amongst the other folk, still liking the ring to it.
"I do not believe I need anything, although I would like my amulet back", he says pondering the question for a few moments in the manner of one who has all the time in the world.
"How about you? Why are you here?", he adds curiously.
The Dwarven Crossbow Guard says "I'm sorry, the trust isn't there yet. Back away from us, we need to be able to see everyone. That is not a request, it is an order."
Shield Guard is more direct. He flips his spear around and, using the butt of the spear, roughly pushes Lam backwards. MMM, please make a strength saving throw if you resist being pushed - DC 12, or pushed back 5 feet. Roll lower than 5, fall prone.
Before Billy can respond to everything going on around him, there is a smaller, but still jarring, crashing sound on the wall behind him. He looks behind it in shock, and then after a moment, a roughly 6-foot wide, 6 foot tall section of the wall crumbles inwards. Billy tries to jump out of the way, but is not quite fast enough. (He rolled a 2.) He is knocked prone, and pinned down, some large chunks of stone landing on his legs. Those of you standing within 15 feet of him can just barely hear the cracking of bone under the rumble of falling stone.
"Help! Oh gods." His voice weakens, and he speaks without looking at anyone in particular. "Moradin, giv mig dine styrke, dine beskyttelse. Har jeg genfortjent min plads i din rigedom?" Billy falls silent, fainting from the pain.
Moradin, give me your strength, your protection. Have I re-earned a place in your kingdom?
Two elves step through the hole in the wall. The one leading carries matched shortswords, the one behind walks with his bow drawn taught. They both appear surprised to see people here, and speak to each other in Elvish.
Shortswords: "¡Se suponía que nadie debía estar aquí!"
Bow: "Estos deben ser otros prisioneros. Rhys está distrayendo a sus fuerzas por la entrada principal, ¡así que sigue el plan!" Bow turns his head and shouts behind him. "Esteban, dispara a cualquiera que intente escapar, hasta que volvamos con Cylence. No sabemos de qué lado están."
Shortswords shouts for all to hear, in common, but with a noticeable accent. "We are here to - pues - liberarte one of our own. We wish no more violensa than needs! Let us pass, and there is no issue. Once we have free him and leave again, you all can escape too. Not until we go, yes?!"
Crossbow Guard fires a bolt at Shortswords, who deflects the bolt with his blade. Crossbow shouts loudly "turn back now, or die here!"
(I'm at work and don't have time to set up Owlbear and such until much later today. So, because there's time, please everyone Roll Initiative.)
DM: Heavy is the Head
Round 1
Sha-gravis initiative 1.
Free action. “Hold on Billy, I’m comin.”
Bonus Action. On his turn Sha will use healing word on Billy restoring 5 hp
Movement. Sha rushes to Billy.
Action. Begin removing rubble off of Billy. Strength check 10.
End of Sha’s turn.
*Sha-gravis *Fjörn Bhrünt *Leif Aulderoot *Saltstrider *Eron Colborn
Initiative roll: 4
Strength saving throw: 14
Hemlock stands up as everything seems to happen at once. The guards start pushing the bugbear, the wall behind Billy topples onto him and a pair of elves appear.
Initiative: 19
Saoirse catches Hemlock's name and that's about everything she's able to do, as Billy's story, along with her answer really comes in the way of her answering the firbolg back. She sighs. Perhaps she'll be able to catch up with him later. And the same goes for the tabaxi, Sha right?, who has found time to speak with the firbolg, and also with the bugbear and the human-looking changeling. The fire genasi sees the last two of them trying to persuade the guards to give them their equipment, but the guards seem adamant in not trusting any of them yet. Saoirse thinks of joining their attempts, but the sudden collapse of the wall - trapping and hurting Billy - prevents her from doing so.
Upon seeing the elves entering and speaking among themselves, she answers back looking directly at the one with the bow (who seems to be in charge in this specific group, as he is giving the orders). The tense situation makes her hard to find the elven words, so she blurts a mixture of Elvish and Common.
- ¡Acabamos de llegar here! ¡No estamos with them! - and she points to the guards - Look... no tenemos nuestras armas. And also, - at this point Saoirse points to Lam - mirad cómo le han tratado por ofrecerse a defender el lugar. No sabíamos quien estaba atacando, pero si habeis venido a liberar a vuestro compatriota ... - and lifts her hands as a sign that she won't attack - ... no os lo impediré. Just let us help him! - this time, she points to Billy.
When she says this she looks at Lam, imagining that if she joins forces with the bugbear, they will surely succeed in freeing the dwarf.
Saoirse's initiative: 20 (rolled in the private thread. Sorry for the mess, DM!).
Free action: speak to the elf with the bow in Elvish/Spanish. She basically says that they (the party) are not with the guards (the proof of this is that they have not weapons). She also points out how the guard has treated Lam when he's offered to help protect the place. They (the party) didn't know what the attack was about, but seeing that they've come to free a compatriot, Saoirse states that she will not interfer. But asks them to allow the party to help Billy. I may need to roll Persuasion for this: 14 (rolled in the sheet).
Action: Try to free Billy from the rubble. I will not move to do so until I see the elves understand we mean no harm (so I guess this means I Hold my action until they agree? If they do). Can I just help Lam roll with advantage instead of rolling myself? If I cannot (or if he prefers doing another thing, of course), I will roll .. what? A general strength check? 15 Or Athletics? 21. Both rolled in the sheet. EDIT: Now that I think of it, I should have probably just rolled once and add the +3 in the Athletics check. So it should really be an 18, right?)
Movement: My token was pretty near Billy. I've just put it nearer to reflect that I intend to free him from under the rubble.
Down, down, down by the river ♫
Nessa | Alana | Ashur | Saxa | Saoirse | Auriel | Leeta
Owlbear Rodeo
Password: Coldwater.
Lam stands firm, and the Dwarf pulls back his spear. A moment later, the wall breaks open, and his spear and shield are back in his hands. His stance is one of a soldier, though not an experienced one.
Initiative Order:
Elf Bow; Saoirse; Hemlock; Dwarf Shield; Siff; Dwarf Crossbow; Elf Shortswords; Lam; Other Prisoners (5); Sha-Gravis
The Elf with a bow fires back at the dwarf with a crossbow. The arrow flies straight and true. It feels simultaneous for Lam and Saffi that they see the arrow sink into the flesh of Crossbow Dwarf's shoulder, they feel the arrow's wind ruffle their fur/hair, and they hear it whistle past their ears. The dwarf is bleeding from what looks like a mortal wound, but he holds his stance and his crossbow, ready to reload. Then the elf's words reach everyone's ear. "Stay out of this! For your own sakes!"
DM: Heavy is the Head
Hemlock looks from the dwarves to the elves and back again, knowing he holds no allegiance to either group. He sees Billy under the rubble and hears Saoirse implore the elves to let them help him.
He keeps his distance and studies both the dwarves and the elves, looking to see if there is any sign either would back down if he explained that violence was not the answer.
Movement: None
Action: Insight check: 3+5=8 (passive: 15)
Bonus Action: None
Reactions: None
Shield Dwarf shouts at Lam and Siff, and any prisoner listening: "You want to help us and earn our trust? STOP THEM!"
He steps directly in front of Crossbow Dwarf, and takes a defensive stance (Crossbow has 1/2 cover relative to Bow, Shield Dwarf takes "Dodge" Action). Shield looks back and forth between Lam and Siff, his facial expression pleading with them to help.
Hemlock can infer
Despite struggling to understand exactly what these people's motivations are, Hemlock has a very good sense of people, and one thing is perfectly clear: Both the Dwarves and the Elves believe in their cause with true and brave hearts, and nobody is about to back down. These people would be nearly impossible to talk into not fighting each other.
DM: Heavy is the Head
Saffi's eyes widen as the wall blows inward, watching helplessly as Billy is crushed by the stones. The changeling is, suddenly, of two minds: she wants to help the now pitiable dwarf, but also sees an opportunity to escape. After she notices the elves, she cups her hands over her ears, turns away and crouches as if cowering. She uses the chaos and distraction to slightly change her appearance, thinning her features and elongating her ears to match those of the elves. Turning back to the group, she appears to be an elfish version of the human that stood in the yard mere moments earlier.
Initiative: 12
Not sure if that'll count as Saffi's first turn. If so, I'll go ahead and use the action to shape change, if not I'll take the action as it comes. Also, let me know if you'd like a deception or performance roll to hide the actual shape change process from the "intruders."
Walks in [insert absurd situation].
Honorary Leader in the Pixie Peewee Powderpuff Pals!
Crossbow steadies his weapon on Shield's shoulder, lines up the shot, and fires, the bolt flying through where Saffi's head was a moment ago, before she crouched and covered her ears. Shortswords sees it coming a moment too late, and the bolt sinks deeply into his plant-fiber leather armor. Deep enough that anyone can see it's pierced him. Crossbow initially takes Saffi's movement as a sign that she's decided to heed warnings and get out of the fray. "Stay down," he barks.
Shortswords dashes through the yard, ducking into the entryway to the small cafeteria. He attempts to find some cover from Crossbow, while keeping his weapons at the ready. As he runs across the mess they made of the wall, rubble shifts, and an involuntary groan escapes from an unconscious, but alive, Billy. Now behind some cover, Shortswords feels at the crossbow bolt in his torso. He looks determined. He's had worse.
It is Lam's turn.
DM: Heavy is the Head
To Lam, it seems like everything is happening at once. People are shouting in languages he doesn’t understand. He was just pushed by one of the dwarves who is now begging him to help. He has no idea who to trust in this situation. He wants to roar as loud as he can to make everything go away. But he doesn’t do that. The fire genasi points and starts talking about him, and he starts to concentrate on her voice to ignore the roaring in his own head. He doesn’t understand most of what she says, but she seems to have a plan, and he understands the last part: ”Just let us help him.” Billy makes an unconscious groan.
Lam has something to do that can help. He grunts loudly, ”I will help Billy.” Then rushes over to the rubble where Billy is buried.
Movement+action: Lam is going to take a full dash to get next to Billy and the rubble. He is not going to wait for any sort of permission to do this, but he does loudly announce his intentions.
If he is allowed to remove any rubble as a free object interaction, he will do that- otherwise, getting to Billy will be his whole turn.