As if plunging head-first into a cold mountain stream, Speaks for Many shudders with a sudden shock at the sweet smelling scents sent straight from what Aran had spoken. Though blood ran down his nose, the floral vapors washed away the bruises and mended the smeared flesh from wicked strike of the flail. He turns his head to give a thankful glance for his companion before looking up to see the looming figure of Giggles standing atop him, veins in muscled arms pulsating with victorious bloodlust
Rolling quick to his belly and speaking a short whisper to the stones on the path, Speaks for Many pushes up powerfully from the ground back to his feet, landing in front of Giggles. He uses the upward motion to send his elbow into the gut of the orc. As it wedges firmly in his chest, he lets the momentum carry his fist the rest of the way into the face of the orc, backhanding four knuckles into the face like a fleshly flail of his own.
(23 to hit - 6 damage non-lethal)
After the Shoanti vengefully smashes in the nose of Giggles, he then brings his quarterstaff up to his waist in a brace and twists around into a full body twirl, hoping to catch the orc in the back.
Julia watches Speaks fall and knows she needs to react quickly. Giggles is proving to be denser than she thought, in more ways than one. She pauses for a moment to catch her breath. Wielding the shadows takes tremendous concentration for her, especially in rapid volley. Her eyes wild, she stretches out her pale fingers and inhales venomously. She wheezes the eldritch incantation once more and feels the void magic flow through her. The eldritch bolt whistles past Giggles’s ear, disappearing into the alley (miss).
Aran whirls his staff around - far from a graceful dance, the shaft sweeping before him - and catches Giggles square in the temple! The orc’s eyes glaze over for an instant as fumbles backward into Neria. He topples over to the ground, clutching at his head (hit!).
Speaks Rolling quick to his belly and speaking a short whisper to the stones on the path, Speaks for Many pushes up powerfully from the ground back to his feet, landing in front of Giggles. He uses the upward motion to send his elbow into the gut of the orc. As it wedges firmly in his chest, he lets the momentum carry his fist the rest of the way into the face of the orc, backhanding four knuckles into the face like a fleshly flail of his own (hit!). After the Shoanti vengefully smashes in the nose of Giggles, he then brings his quarterstaff up to his waist in a brace and twists around into a full body twirl, catching the orc in the back. (hit!).
Neria blinks hard as she tries to wrap her head around the events of the last few moments. It actually worked!
Seeing her companions seemingly faring better, she looks down at Giggles in disgust. She drops her small crossbow and unsheathes a pair of fine, bladed weapons from within the folds of her cloak.
"Child abusers deserve every bad thing," she says quietly as she draws back and swings both weapons in a cross slash. Surprisingly, though, her trajectory shifts slightly in midair. Was it inexperience? Miscalculation? A last-second change of heart? Part of the plan from the beginning? Whatever the reason, the blades didn't come near the orc's flesh. Instead, both hilts fly toward his temples.
Not sure of ruling on whether hitting with the hilts would be considered improvised weapons, so I split up the numbers. Action: Shortsword - Attack: 23 (if finesse)/17 (if improvised) Damage: 11 (finesse)/7 (improvised) BA: Dagger - Attack: 10 (finesse)/4 (improvised) Damage: 6 (finesse)/2 (improvised) +SA Damage: 2
The hilt of Neria's weapon slams into Giggles's temple, and the orc is knocked unconscious. On his person you find a heavy flail (mechanically, a maul), hide armor, and a longbow with a quiver of arrows (I'm not into tracking non-magical ammo). Giggles is unconscious, but unbound.
Heaving a sigh of relief as Giggles' body goes limp, Neria quickly retrieves the rope from her pack and goes to work hogtying and gagging the orc (cutting off, say, 5ft of it).
"If any of you strapping lads feel up to assisting, I wouldn't turn it down," she grunts as she attempts to drag the large, unconscious form deeper into the thickly stacked shadows of the dark alley.
"Just so I know," she continues while wiping her brow with one long sleeve, "Is that how you guys usually fare in a fight?" She smirks and winks at Julia. "'Cause if so, I'll need to stand back a bit farther next time."
It's clear to anyone paying attention that her jokes and air of confidence are a poorly-applied mask over jittery nerves.
**Unless anyone objects, she'd then dump the weapons into the river on their way back to the fishery.
Seeing Neira struggle to drag the massive frame of Giggle alone, Speaks for Many swoops in to lend a hand in dragging the body away at her behest. He tends to the task silently and stoically, inspecting the area after the two drag the body away to ensure that the orc would remain hidden for some time.
After rejoining the party, Speaks for Many raises an eyebrow at Neira's banter. He replies in a deadpan tone as he points to her daggers, "Small blade harder to use from far off. Better to stay close, hmm? Is wise." He crosses his arms, wearing an expression of satisfaction having shared his wisdom. "Fought well," he continues, giving a quick glance first towards Aran before the others "Am thankful for all, but still more path to tread, yes? No matter, will follow."He then retrieves a small kit from his belongings and flashes the medicinal contents to the others, "Is here if needed."
I watch as Speaks and Neria move the bound body of Giggles, the orcish guard, into the shadows. We'd won, but the orc's tenacity was something of a wake-up call that Gaedren obviously employed better than average local street thugs. I call over, quietly to the two dumping the body, "Check to see if there's anythin' else of use on him... If he was guarding the hen house then he might have been able to gather the eggs too." I glance up and down the alleyway, hoping that the ruckus hasn't been loud enough to disturb anyone.
I look over to Julia and Snarkles, walking over and checking up on the girl that seems to have more to her than her creeping demeanour gives at first impression. "So... uh... was that how you saw that diversion ending? Just so I know for next time." I try to add a sliver of joviality to my tone, but it is a weak effort in the current circumstances.
In the alley, Giggles lies crumpled in the muck, bound hand and foot, a rag jammed in his mouth beneath layers of tattered sailcloth and fish-stinking burlap. A broken oar juts from the pile like a grave marker. The party doesn't linger. West Dock doesn’t sleep, and too many eyes might open if you dawdle.
Back at the Old Fishery, the crooked structure looms like a beached ship, half-rotted and leaning slightly toward the river. Julia glances around once, then carefully pushes open the western door, left ajar by the recently deceived Giggles. The swollen wood creaks faintly, but no one is watching this side of the building. Hati, Speaks’s loyal companion, swoops through the door with a shriek, talons clicking on the warped floorboards.
The sudden motion and sound startle the mangy guard dog curled near the stairwell. His eyes snap open and he surges up with a bark that explodes like a thunderclap in the silence. WOOF! WOOF! GRRRRRRRRRR...! The mutt's claws scrabble against the wooden floor as he bounds forward, foam flecking his jowls.
In the next room, shouted curses erupt. One voice, thick with sleep: “What the hell was that?!” Another: “Shut yer trap, Bloo! Mangy cur!” Feet thump against floorboards as the commotion unfolds.
The Shoanti monk watches as Hati and the guard dog make a cacophony. He sends a fleeting thought to the bird, wishing for Hati to stay just out of reach of the beast. Then, closing his eyes and pressing his fingers together in a solemn gesture, he begins to speak ancient words. His breath turns to mist as he speaks, light green in color as opposed to white as one would see in colder times. His robes bristle on excitement as he completes the spell not even a moment later (Speak with Animals).
Speaks for Many breathes in and shifts his gaze into the fishery. He then calls out to the dog in fluent Shoanti, though his words seem tinged with primal energy.
"Evil bird says dumb dog smells of fish guts and can't catch it."
As he finishes calling out, Hati bolts out of the building with a controlled speed and height to put it a lofty step ahead of any would be pursuers.
Neria stifles a laugh at the absurdity of it all and puts her back to the wall to one side of the door to wait in ambush of the quickly approaching feet. Drawing both her blades, she swallows hard as the reality of what she's doing sets in. Shaking her head to clear it, she does her best to steel herself.
Action: Ready the Attack action with both her shortsword and dagger (her dagger's Nick Mastery Property allows it to be used as part of the action rather than bonus action)
Bloo bellows and races out the front door, hot on the... heels?... of Hati, who easily takes flight out of reach, but still within sight. The poor move north, Bloo snapping at the air. (Neria's readied attack can go off. Also everyone may have an opportunity attack against Bloo). More cursing and bustling issues from the sleeping quarters as the other two presumably prepare to investigate.
Julia slips in from the alleyway, boots hitting warped floorboards as the door groans shut behind her. The air reeks of salt, rot, and old fish guts. She looks like hell, with lipstick smeared across her cheek, mascara streaked down her face as though she's just come from a funeral, and her hair frizzed like she lost a fight with a lantern.
Then, barking. The dog. Hattie’s hawk. Something stirs inside. She freezes. Voices. Movement. Someone waking up.
A grin creeps across her face. One hand lifts, already pulsing with green light. “Didn’t even see me yet,”she whispers, drunk on the thrill. The encantation is just behind her lips like poison. Julia doesn’t move. She just waits, smiling like a cracked porcelain doll, ready. Somewhere nearby, Snarkles chuckles: “We's makes them regret waking up, yes baroness!?”
The dog that hurtles past seems focussed on it's flying irritant, and following Neria's lead, I stay my hand, saving the opportunity for two-legged adversaries.
As the dog continues into the distance, no-one else emerging from the building yet, I look at the others around me. Stepping into the building as quietly as I can, staff at the ready, making my way towards the voices freshly roused from their sleep.
As Aran makes his way quietly into the building, Speaks for Many lays a hand on his shoulder. He gives a nod, signaling that the Shoanti monk is offering to not have Aran go at this alone, and steps into the building after him.
Hearing the shouting from the room over, he watches as Aran conceals himself. Giving a slight grin, Speaks for Many steps brazenly into the center of the room, determined to be the first thing that anyone would witness of they were to peer inside. He brings his quarterstaff in a brace across his back with other arm outstretched. Rhythmic breathing ensues as he begins to anticipate whatever may come next.
Action: Dodge
Movement: Into the center of the room where Aran is.
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As if plunging head-first into a cold mountain stream, Speaks for Many shudders with a sudden shock at the sweet smelling scents sent straight from what Aran had spoken. Though blood ran down his nose, the floral vapors washed away the bruises and mended the smeared flesh from wicked strike of the flail. He turns his head to give a thankful glance for his companion before looking up to see the looming figure of Giggles standing atop him, veins in muscled arms pulsating with victorious bloodlust
Rolling quick to his belly and speaking a short whisper to the stones on the path, Speaks for Many pushes up powerfully from the ground back to his feet, landing in front of Giggles. He uses the upward motion to send his elbow into the gut of the orc. As it wedges firmly in his chest, he lets the momentum carry his fist the rest of the way into the face of the orc, backhanding four knuckles into the face like a fleshly flail of his own.
(23 to hit - 6 damage non-lethal)
After the Shoanti vengefully smashes in the nose of Giggles, he then brings his quarterstaff up to his waist in a brace and twists around into a full body twirl, hoping to catch the orc in the back.
(13 to hit)
Julia watches Speaks fall and knows she needs to react quickly. Giggles is proving to be denser than she thought, in more ways than one. She pauses for a moment to catch her breath. Wielding the shadows takes tremendous concentration for her, especially in rapid volley. Her eyes wild, she stretches out her pale fingers and inhales venomously. She wheezes the eldritch incantation once more and feels the void magic flow through her. The eldritch bolt whistles past Giggles’s ear, disappearing into the alley (miss).
Aran whirls his staff around - far from a graceful dance, the shaft sweeping before him - and catches Giggles square in the temple! The orc’s eyes glaze over for an instant as fumbles backward into Neria. He topples over to the ground, clutching at his head (hit!).
Speaks Rolling quick to his belly and speaking a short whisper to the stones on the path, Speaks for Many pushes up powerfully from the ground back to his feet, landing in front of Giggles. He uses the upward motion to send his elbow into the gut of the orc. As it wedges firmly in his chest, he lets the momentum carry his fist the rest of the way into the face of the orc, backhanding four knuckles into the face like a fleshly flail of his own (hit!). After the Shoanti vengefully smashes in the nose of Giggles, he then brings his quarterstaff up to his waist in a brace and twists around into a full body twirl, catching the orc in the back. (hit!).
Initiative (bold may act):
Neria blinks hard as she tries to wrap her head around the events of the last few moments. It actually worked!
Seeing her companions seemingly faring better, she looks down at Giggles in disgust. She drops her small crossbow and unsheathes a pair of fine, bladed weapons from within the folds of her cloak.
"Child abusers deserve every bad thing," she says quietly as she draws back and swings both weapons in a cross slash. Surprisingly, though, her trajectory shifts slightly in midair. Was it inexperience? Miscalculation? A last-second change of heart? Part of the plan from the beginning? Whatever the reason, the blades didn't come near the orc's flesh. Instead, both hilts fly toward his temples.
Not sure of ruling on whether hitting with the hilts would be considered improvised weapons, so I split up the numbers.
Action: Shortsword - Attack: 23 (if finesse)/17 (if improvised) Damage: 11 (finesse)/7 (improvised)
BA: Dagger - Attack: 10 (finesse)/4 (improvised) Damage: 6 (finesse)/2 (improvised)
+SA Damage: 2
Characters currently being ruined on this forum:
Neria Tallfellow (Halfling Rogue) - Curse of the Crimson Throne with Ashen_Age
The hilt of Neria's weapon slams into Giggles's temple, and the orc is knocked unconscious. On his person you find a heavy flail (mechanically, a maul), hide armor, and a longbow with a quiver of arrows (I'm not into tracking non-magical ammo). Giggles is unconscious, but unbound.
Actions?
Heaving a sigh of relief as Giggles' body goes limp, Neria quickly retrieves the rope from her pack and goes to work hogtying and gagging the orc (cutting off, say, 5ft of it).
"If any of you strapping lads feel up to assisting, I wouldn't turn it down," she grunts as she attempts to drag the large, unconscious form deeper into the thickly stacked shadows of the dark alley.
"Just so I know," she continues while wiping her brow with one long sleeve, "Is that how you guys usually fare in a fight?" She smirks and winks at Julia. "'Cause if so, I'll need to stand back a bit farther next time."
It's clear to anyone paying attention that her jokes and air of confidence are a poorly-applied mask over jittery nerves.
**Unless anyone objects, she'd then dump the weapons into the river on their way back to the fishery.
Characters currently being ruined on this forum:
Neria Tallfellow (Halfling Rogue) - Curse of the Crimson Throne with Ashen_Age
Seeing Neira struggle to drag the massive frame of Giggle alone, Speaks for Many swoops in to lend a hand in dragging the body away at her behest. He tends to the task silently and stoically, inspecting the area after the two drag the body away to ensure that the orc would remain hidden for some time.
After rejoining the party, Speaks for Many raises an eyebrow at Neira's banter. He replies in a deadpan tone as he points to her daggers, "Small blade harder to use from far off. Better to stay close, hmm? Is wise." He crosses his arms, wearing an expression of satisfaction having shared his wisdom. "Fought well," he continues, giving a quick glance first towards Aran before the others "Am thankful for all, but still more path to tread, yes? No matter, will follow." He then retrieves a small kit from his belongings and flashes the medicinal contents to the others, "Is here if needed."
I watch as Speaks and Neria move the bound body of Giggles, the orcish guard, into the shadows. We'd won, but the orc's tenacity was something of a wake-up call that Gaedren obviously employed better than average local street thugs. I call over, quietly to the two dumping the body, "Check to see if there's anythin' else of use on him... If he was guarding the hen house then he might have been able to gather the eggs too." I glance up and down the alleyway, hoping that the ruckus hasn't been loud enough to disturb anyone.
I look over to Julia and Snarkles, walking over and checking up on the girl that seems to have more to her than her creeping demeanour gives at first impression. "So... uh... was that how you saw that diversion ending? Just so I know for next time." I try to add a sliver of joviality to my tone, but it is a weak effort in the current circumstances.
Bring out your inner chatacter class...
Neria nods to Aran and walks back to the deftly-stowed and unconscious orc to rifle through his pockets.
Investigation: 20
Returning to the party, she holds out her hands. With a smirk, she says, "I found this."
Characters currently being ruined on this forum:
Neria Tallfellow (Halfling Rogue) - Curse of the Crimson Throne with Ashen_Age
Stashed in a craftily concealed pocket, Neria finds two potion of healing.
In the alley, Giggles lies crumpled in the muck, bound hand and foot, a rag jammed in his mouth beneath layers of tattered sailcloth and fish-stinking burlap. A broken oar juts from the pile like a grave marker. The party doesn't linger. West Dock doesn’t sleep, and too many eyes might open if you dawdle.
Back at the Old Fishery, the crooked structure looms like a beached ship, half-rotted and leaning slightly toward the river. Julia glances around once, then carefully pushes open the western door, left ajar by the recently deceived Giggles. The swollen wood creaks faintly, but no one is watching this side of the building. Hati, Speaks’s loyal companion, swoops through the door with a shriek, talons clicking on the warped floorboards.
The sudden motion and sound startle the mangy guard dog curled near the stairwell. His eyes snap open and he surges up with a bark that explodes like a thunderclap in the silence. WOOF! WOOF! GRRRRRRRRRR...! The mutt's claws scrabble against the wooden floor as he bounds forward, foam flecking his jowls.
In the next room, shouted curses erupt. One voice, thick with sleep: “What the hell was that?!” Another: “Shut yer trap, Bloo! Mangy cur!” Feet thump against floorboards as the commotion unfolds.
Aran Initiative: 15
Julia Initiative: 15
Neria Initiative: 20
Speaks for Many Initiative: 21
Hookshanks Initiative: 17
Yargin Initiative: 18
Initiative (bold may act):
The Shoanti monk watches as Hati and the guard dog make a cacophony. He sends a fleeting thought to the bird, wishing for Hati to stay just out of reach of the beast. Then, closing his eyes and pressing his fingers together in a solemn gesture, he begins to speak ancient words. His breath turns to mist as he speaks, light green in color as opposed to white as one would see in colder times. His robes bristle on excitement as he completes the spell not even a moment later (Speak with Animals).
Speaks for Many breathes in and shifts his gaze into the fishery. He then calls out to the dog in fluent Shoanti, though his words seem tinged with primal energy.
"Evil bird says dumb dog smells of fish guts and can't catch it."
As he finishes calling out, Hati bolts out of the building with a controlled speed and height to put it a lofty step ahead of any would be pursuers.
Neria stifles a laugh at the absurdity of it all and puts her back to the wall to one side of the door to wait in ambush of the quickly approaching feet. Drawing both her blades, she swallows hard as the reality of what she's doing sets in. Shaking her head to clear it, she does her best to steel herself.
Action: Ready the Attack action with both her shortsword and dagger (her dagger's Nick Mastery Property allows it to be used as part of the action rather than bonus action)
Characters currently being ruined on this forum:
Neria Tallfellow (Halfling Rogue) - Curse of the Crimson Throne with Ashen_Age
Bloo bellows and races out the front door, hot on the... heels?... of Hati, who easily takes flight out of reach, but still within sight. The poor move north, Bloo snapping at the air. (Neria's readied attack can go off. Also everyone may have an opportunity attack against Bloo). More cursing and bustling issues from the sleeping quarters as the other two presumably prepare to investigate.
Initiative (bold may act):
Neria lets Bloo barrel past and continues to hold her place, waiting for the approaching footsteps and timing her attack.
Characters currently being ruined on this forum:
Neria Tallfellow (Halfling Rogue) - Curse of the Crimson Throne with Ashen_Age
Julia slips in from the alleyway, boots hitting warped floorboards as the door groans shut behind her. The air reeks of salt, rot, and old fish guts. She looks like hell, with lipstick smeared across her cheek, mascara streaked down her face as though she's just come from a funeral, and her hair frizzed like she lost a fight with a lantern.
Then, barking. The dog. Hattie’s hawk. Something stirs inside. She freezes. Voices. Movement. Someone waking up.
A grin creeps across her face. One hand lifts, already pulsing with green light. “Didn’t even see me yet,” she whispers, drunk on the thrill. The encantation is just behind her lips like poison. Julia doesn’t move. She just waits, smiling like a cracked porcelain doll, ready. Somewhere nearby, Snarkles chuckles: “We's makes them regret waking up, yes baroness!?”
The dog that hurtles past seems focussed on it's flying irritant, and following Neria's lead, I stay my hand, saving the opportunity for two-legged adversaries.
As the dog continues into the distance, no-one else emerging from the building yet, I look at the others around me. Stepping into the building as quietly as I can, staff at the ready, making my way towards the voices freshly roused from their sleep.
Action - Hide
Movement - Into building
Bring out your inner chatacter class...
As Aran makes his way quietly into the building, Speaks for Many lays a hand on his shoulder. He gives a nod, signaling that the Shoanti monk is offering to not have Aran go at this alone, and steps into the building after him.
Hearing the shouting from the room over, he watches as Aran conceals himself. Giving a slight grin, Speaks for Many steps brazenly into the center of the room, determined to be the first thing that anyone would witness of they were to peer inside. He brings his quarterstaff in a brace across his back with other arm outstretched. Rhythmic breathing ensues as he begins to anticipate whatever may come next.
Action: Dodge
Movement: Into the center of the room where Aran is.