Warrick history check: 20 (not nat) also is there a chance any of them woukd recognize him?

Tanis quirks an eye, but then gives a rare nod of approval at Selene's illusion of decrepit furniture.

"Not bad, Dark Sister.  Almost as lovely as what we've got at our own digs back at the Bleeding Rose."

When the others are ready, he beckons them to show his planned route to House Crawlthing.  "None of the most obvious main roads, none of the most obvious ambush alleys.  Only the most enterprising highwaymen shall find and attack us this way," he announces with deadpan cheeriness.

"As for positioning, in the cart you go Doc Warrick, but keep your eyes up to the rooftops and the sky for surprises.  Cool Breeze with you to handle the worg.  Kain as advance scout.  Leaving three.  One rear guard.  Maybe Dark Sister with her darkvision?  Big man and I flank the wagon on either side?"

Zifni glides into step beside the hulking worg as it pulls the cargo through the rain-slick streets. The genasi's movements are light and graceful, though slightly erratic, like a leaf on the wind. His steps are quiet, the only sound that marks his passing is the soft thud of his staff on the ground.

He watches the worg closely and tries to remember what he knows of the creature.

OOC: 24 Nature check to see what he might know about worgs and whether Speak With Animals would work on it.

Selene listens to Tanis with her usual quiet attention, silver eyes glinting under her hood as he names their positions. 

“Rear guard suits me,” she murmurs. “Better I see what follows us than what we’re walking into. And if someone tries to take the cargo from behind, they’ll find more than rotted chairs.”

Selene walks behind the wagon, the rain misting across her cloak in a fine spray. Her fingers flex subtly at her side, as she adjusts the illusion cloaking the cargo, now a crooked armchair slumped atop broken drawers, now a cracked mirror speckled with mold. Always unremarkable, subtly shifting minute by minute to maintain the deception. 

Warrick thinks deep into his memory and recalls that House Crawlthing were famed for their elaborate house parties and displays of wealth. With the aristocracy being mainly vampires, to get an invitation from another noble into their own home showed that they deeply trusted their guests and had a strong willingness to network; therefore, he recalls they were well thought of by others and fairly friendly, for vampires. However, he was never brought along to any of these galas, and seeing as every noble in the city now sees the Markhams as a dead and buried lineage of the past, their over-night disappearance interpreted as them being a victim of the tumultuous rise and fall of the city's political landscape, there's no chance of him being recognised. 

As the wagon trundles along in the mud and across the cobbles, Zifni tries to recall all he can about Worgs. They're certainly far more than a simple animal, and would be beyond simple spells like speak with animals, however he recalls that they are fairly intelligent in their own right, and most are able to speak Goblin, along with their own Worg language. It seems Marrow has enough cunning to follow the route set out without needing to be constantly directed, and the expressions he has demonstrated so far show some emotional intelligence too. 

(Warrick hasn't told anyone of his family name or any account of what happened. His story he told his friends is that he worked at the Markhams estates as a servant to explain his knowledge of nobles and not happening as he can't seem to stop himself from mentioning such things.)

"Our destination is known for rather frivolous balls and gatherings. Perhaps this is simply some extra piece for such. Good for them for working with those like our employer. Though I do find it rather surprising that the deal was struck and paid for, but shipping left up to chance. Seems as though the receiving party would have had the interest in hiring those to do the delivery."

Warrick looked around in the upper levers of the buildings, luckily Quicknil seemed to be rather simple to direct. It appears as to the worg was accustom to following random strangers, perhaps that fact should worry Warrick but he can reason to why yet.

Thamul is happy to take one of the sides of the wagon to protect it and is ready to move.

"If need be, our friend Marrow here likely understands the language of the goblins, if anyone speaks it," Zifni suggests in his airy, charged voice as he moves along beside the worg. He gives Marrow an understanding nod.

"Though he seems content enough to follow us on the road."

Zifni is watchful as well, scanning the alleyways ahead, alert as ever for any opportunistic crew like themselves who might try to interfere with their task.

As the party crawls through the slums, the wagon creaking each time its wheel catches on the uneven cobbles that make up the more urbanised area further into the city, they seem to notice more and more eyes watching them. Citizens poke their heads over their windowsills as they pass, staying out of sight but watching you intently all the while. Eventually however, a small, grey little creature steps out in front of you, cloaked and covered in padded drapes. Marrow snorts and stops, and the creature raises its head to show its beady face, its eyes shallow pinpricks of darkness and its features like that of a stunted contorted elf; a darkling. It runs a foul grey snake tongue along its razor sharp teeth, and raises a dagger. For a moment, you wonder what it could be after, since the cargo looks like unsalvageable wreckage, but then it dawns on you that it's after something far simpler; the meat off of Marrow's bones. Starvation is common enough in the city to lead most in poverty to eat anything, and a whole worg could last a week. 

You prepare to fend off this darkling, when Selene notices a second step out of the shadows behind the wagon to block you in. The prying eyes of unseen residents are still warily watching as the tension rises; you wonder if they're intrigued by the upcoming scuffle, or instead want to descend like vultures on Marrow's carcass should he fall. 

Roll for initiative! I've put you onto the map based on the locations you took up, and each of the characters are marked with colours, so Kain is purple, Zifni is sea salt blue, Warrick is orange, Thamul is blue, Tanis is dark green and Selene is red! Marrow is black (he won't be fighting) and the darklings are grey! 

Initiative
Darkling 1: 17
Darkling 1: 23

Tanis' Initiative:  2 + 3 = 5

Selene's Initiative: (14+2)=16

Zifni: 20

Warrick initiative: 18

 Kain initiative: 16

Thamul init: NAT20

((Anyone got the feat to swap init positions, who also would like to swap its position? (Not necessarily with Thamul; in general))

[Looking through the character sheets, doesn't look like anybody has those feats, so seems like initiative is settled!]

The second Darkling behind the wagon acts first, throwing a dagger imbued with their corrupt darkness at Selene. 23 to hit, 5 piercing damage plus 8 necrotic damage on a hit.

Thamul is up!

Initiative
Darkling 2: 23
Thamul: Nat 20
Zifni: 20
Warrick: 18
Selene: 16
Kain: 12
Darkling 1: 17
Tanis: 5

Thamul immediately retaliates against the darkling that through the dagger.

He first throws the light hammer in his hand:
To hit: 11 for 7 dmg. 

Activating the weapon mastery nick he takes a handaxe from his side and throws it after it
to hit: 18 for 10dmg
He activates vex for advantage on his next attack roll against it untill end of next turn.

((looks like Nick isnt that useful until I have dual wielder^^ or another useful ba during a turn))

[Reroll for the disadvantage imposed by Selene's Luck: 18]

[Nice one! Looks like she's safe!]

In a stroke of luck, Selene just manages to turn herself away from the flying dagger,  which soars past and then clatters to the floor when it strikes a wall. Thamul then retaliates by throwing his hammer at the darkling, which misses, but is succeeded by a handaxe to the head, leaving the darkling on the brink of death. 

Zifni is up! 

Initiative
Darkling 2: 23 (-10 HP, 1/2 daggers)
Thamul: Nat 20
Zifni: 20
Warrick: 18
Darkling 1: 17
Selene: 16
Kain: 12
Tanis: 5