To Gruun, Killian says, "Hold him fast," and she will knock the man's weapons out of his hands, and kick them away.

Zane scans the onlookers as he walks closer to the party, "Anyone else want to try us!?" he yells.

Looking up at Hox he says, "Saw a safer nook for us? Would love to get out of this open area."

"Gruun, Killian, lets knock them out for now and ask questions later. I'm so hurt I can't think straight. Almost all my magic is spent as well."

"In fact, I'm going to spend the last of it," he says and casts Detect Magic. He rifles through the bodies taking money and possible magic items, identification stuff and other relevant-seeming things. He leaves the corpses there, but throws their (non-magical) weapons into the water.

Using my rope I would like to wrap the last guy up like a cartoon villian (nothing but feet and face not under rope) and secure him on my back like a bedroll. "We need to get off the streets and somewhere safe fast. I don't like this was the entire pack and I do not have the energy to keep hunting this day."

Killian kicks the man's scimitar and dagger away. They clatter to the dock and drop into the water beneath. He snaps out of his stupor midway through Gruun's hogtying and struggles against the ropes to no avail, upon which he begins screaming, "Guards! Guards! Someone help!".

The crowd mostly averts their eyes and disperses at Zane's shout.

OOC: Ready to advance once an action is taken.

Killian slams him across the head with her shield until he stops being conscious, but she does not kill him. Then she will help Gruun carry him away. 

At the man's outburst Gruun has an idea. "Does anyone have a cloak I can wrap him in? Carrying a body around will attract notice."

Zane looks around to spot anyone wearing a suitable cloak (except any guards). He will quickly approach them and offer them 1 gold for the cloak and 4 gold to forget they ever had a cloak or what they saw.

As the man is wrapped in a cloak, Killian will approach a gawker, somebody suitably young but a notice (using her Urchin bg), and ask, "Who were these thugs? Who sent them, do you know?" Often the people know who to keep away from, and she is hoping these are some of those.

The ruckus draws the attention of a group of city guards passing through. Killian recognizes a couple from the prior night's events, who chuckle and begin to disperse and calm as much of the crowd as they can. 

Eventually, the man falls silent, his face beaten to a near pulp by the paladin's shield. Zane easily finds someone willing to give up their cloak and stay quiet for 5 gold, and Killian tracks down an urchin girl near the docks. Possibly to her surprise, it is the tiefling girl, one of the Schoolchildren from earlier in the day.

"We do not know, but Ritska says to let H find out," she says. As if on cue, the cloaked "H" appears from thin air next to the girl, his hooded cowl eyeing in the direction of the unconscious man on the docks. 

The girl continues, "Ritska has seen your investigation, and has arranged for a ship to give chase to the thieves of the Raven's Claw. Captain Thitcher is waiting for you at The Flying Mermaid. It is the only ship that Ritska trusts to carry you and the stolen goods back. Buy anything you need, and go quickly."

OOC: Each character has received 562 XP for defeating the bandit captains.

Killian looks non-plussed at being ordered about, but shrugs. "Well then, I guess he is yours now." She turns back to the group. "Give the thug over to these two. We are to sail after that chest. And you!" she turns to the gawking crowd. "Have some pride! Stand up for yourselves. These thugs are cowards. Your suffering is your own fault, and you cannot expect the likes of me to fix it for you." Then she spits on the ground.

(Not that kind of paladin.)

She doesn't bother to clean her shield, and turns back to the girl. "Flying Mermaid?"

Zane is letting out a loooooong slow breath at the ease of tension.

"Lets just go to the boat and have a rest. We'll buy things when we've recovered the chest."

(Sorry for the no replies for a while, got busy.)

Hox looks to his depleting quiver. "Hox need more sharp sticks and want to try big bow." 

[Buying 10 arrows and a longbow.]

OOC: Assuming Gruun is alright with moving along.

Longbow and 10 arrows have been added to Hox's inventory. 50 gp and 5 sp have been removed. Note that Hox is not proficient with the longbow, and is now over his carrying capacity, and will have to drop some weight or exchange some currency.

After some quick purchases of weapons and ammunition, you find The Flying Mermaid ready to sail at the far end of the docks. It is a smaller ship, obviously built for speed.

"I am Captain Thatcher. We've been expecting you. Can't say I'm thrilled about it, but come aboard," the Captain says, a well-built human man in his forties.

"We have a crew of forty. Our quarters below deck are full, so you'll have to sleep on the deck. Fill me in on the situation. We've been paid well to carry you, but I was not told any specifics," he says.

Zane tells the captain about the ship they would be chasing, where it was last seen and which way it was seen heading. Also that the objective is to retrieve an item that is on board that ship, but no specifics.

He will also ask the captains permission to offer some gold to some of the crew for switching sleeping quarters with. If permission is given, he will take a short tour through the quarters below deck and will promptly make a "name your price" offer to a decent room with four bunks in it for a single night.

(Sorry been working on a router failure and got swamped)

Gruun notices Hox struggling to keep up due to his load, "Little one you are carrying too much. I will keep your things safe for you, I have no use of your 'shinys' while I have a full stomach."

Gruun is clearly uneasy getting onto the boat, not use to or comfortable with the ground moving beneath his feet. Hearing Zane talking to the captain about a room below, he becomes tense and somewhat pale. "You can stay below if you find a room, I am going to stay where I can see the sky."

Killian seems pretty even keel about the boat thing, she comes aboard with no undue concern, eyes Captain Thatcher skeptically, but lets Zane do the talking. She is fine bedding down wherever. She will settle now on a crate out of the way to clean her bloody sword (which she has only wiped on someone's cloak and not sheathed to this point). The shield she will allow to dry and crust, but a dirty sword is a liability in a fight.

Hox relinquishes some of his gold to Gruun, "Hox trust Gruun, can take shinies." Hox takes to the decks below until the sun sets. Then he goes about the topside, climbing about the railing and nets. "Hox no like fire in the sky, hurt Hox and make it harder to look. Caves are bright enough." He complains.

Zane Persuasion: 23

"We're a quick sloop, but no war ship. You'll have to handle any fighting yourselves," Captain Thitcher responds.

The crew of The Flying Mermaid barely flinch at the bugbear and kobold that climb aboard, well used to such sights on the rough waters around Luskan.

Members of the crew in one of the 4-person bunks beneath the deck are easily persuaded to give up their room for coin, splitting 10 gold pieces amongst themselves in exchange for giving Zane the room to himself.

Before long, the waves crash against The Flying Mermaid's hull as the ship sails at high speed toward The Trackless Sea. A cry of "Ship spotted, Captain!" emerges from the crow's nest after a short time, seeing a ship barely visible at the edge of the horizon, little more than a black dot.

"We'll give chase. At this speed we're like to catch them by nightfall," Captain Thitcher informs the group.

OOC: Each character will gain the benefits of a short rest. If you would like to roll any hit dice, please do so in your next post.

40 gold pieces have been moved from Hox's inventory to Gruun's inventory to get Hox under carrying capacity.

(Might as well get prepped for more bandits! Hopfully when I throw these guys off the boat they won't come back)

Using all my hit die for now 78