Hearing the noise outside, and see Crush go to join the fight Usul simply chuckles to himself "That's the Crush I remember..." takes a puff off his new pipe, slowly puts it in his pocket, and heads to the door to see what's happening outside; in no rush. He also casts an invisible mage hand while on the way, just to have it handy. <<pun intended>>

Aria's head turns to the commotion being made outside, and sees the big guy run into action. "I guess he really hasn't changed." She looks at Sen, shrugs her shoulders and follows behind Crush and Usul.

And really, I don't think we would want him to.  Sen follows closely behind Aria, and heads out into the street.

The party goes out into the alleyway accompanied by Usul's mage hand, a menacing fist floating in the air alongside them. The yelling gets louder as they approach, but when Crush bursts through the back door of the Save Point into the alleyway, there's no one there. No one beside a few ravens swarming Aria's target dummy, dive bombing it, all but one squawking at it -- the one that isn't squawking is taunting it, trying to goad it into a fight.

Oh great, you guys again. Aria says as she starts to easily discern the identity of those causing the ruckus. She uses Speak With Animals Hey Frank? She asks.. hoping she remembered the raven's name. You guys mind leaving the kids' target dummy alone?

The spell has no effect on, as  Frank has already cast speak with people. You can now hear various threats and curses coming from the other birds directed at the target dummy they're trying to fight.

The birds all squawk defensively as the party enters the alleyway, but Frank stops them. "HEY YO HEY YO HEY YO GUYS, GUYS, GUYS, CALM DOWN, THESE IS THOSE GUYS I WAS TELLING YOUS ABOUT BEFORE, THE ONES WE'RE SUPPOSED TA GIVE DA MESSAGE TOO."

((mechanics note: Usul's mage hand is invisible))

Heading outside to see the Ravens, Usul also walks over to Muad, who was sitting quietly waiting outside, and pats him on the head while the ravens talk. Sitting on Muad is a very small owl that the rest of you haven't seen before. Usul looks over to him, and he flys to sit on Usul's shoulder where the two make eye contact and share a message.

Telepathically Usul tells him "Hey buddy... these ravens are a weird group. Try to stay hidden and follow them after they go. Come find me after and tell me what you can." stealth 11, perception 11

He then waits for Aria to translate for the ravens, since it seems she understands them. She did before at least.

"What talky birds want!?" Crush would grunt as disappointment and confusion slowly replace what had been a face full of excitement and anger. The hulking orc would use one of his two obsidian colored battleaxes to scratch the top of his gray-ish green head.

Aria walks over to her old buddy Frank and  tilts her head to look at the raven. Frank, what are you doing here? What message do you have to give us?

At the sight of the ravens, there's a movement from one of the pockets of Sen's robe, and a small gray shape scurries up his back, perches on his shoulder, and bares its teeth at Frank.  It's okay, Nipper.  Let him deliver his message and go.  Sen looks around warily, recalling that these particular ravens were often accompanied by other kinds of trouble; Perception 1

0

Usul's owl isn't going to be really hidden or really observant. He's not going to be completely oblivious, but just there. 

Sen is startled by the presence of an imposing figure in the alley, and readies to attack the figure that the ravens are after, stopping only when he realizes no one else is preparing to attack the dummy. He sheepishly puts his wand away.

Everyone in the party can understand Frank. That's the power of speak with people.

Frank says, "Yo! We was comin' ta give youse a message but then we found this mook gettin' ready to break inta the place! Tear him apart, boys!" The ravens let loose a renewed CRAW CRAW CRAW and attack the dummy. 

"The only dummy I see here is you." Aria walks over to the target dummy and starts smacking it. "Did you even notice that it didnt have a HEAD!?" She shoos the ravens away from the dummy. "What's this message you have?"

Quote from heyDrWil>>

Usul's owl isn't going to be really hidden or really observant. He's not going to be completely oblivious, but just there.

((yeah... thus is the nature of low rolls; next time he'll do better! I'm sure that the ravens will notice him. But it's already been declared~))

Being able to clearly understand the ravens (though he always has some sense of what small animals want, this is different), Usul is curious and adds after Aria "and where'd y'all learn to talk?"

Crush would walk over and slam his battle axe into the dummy. "It dead.. what message?" He would grunt as he pulls the axe from the dummy and looks to the talking bird.

Crush wrecks the dummy and the ravens let loose a CRAW CRAW CRAW of satisfaction that sounds like a victory chant and/or praise for Crush's prowess.

Frank says, "WHOA, YEAH! THAT'LL TEACH 'IM TO LURK AROUND A PLACE, LOOK AT THE SWING ON THIS ONE, I TOLD THE BOYS, I TOLD 'EM, YOUSE GUYS WERE UP FOR THIS."

He takes a moment to compose himself, the other birds squawking at him. "Right, right, da message! Aye! You know that Tieflin' youse did a job for? His carcass is sittin' on toppa pile of bodies, dead as numbnuts over here." he gestures at the torn asunder dummy. "Thought since youse did a job for him that you might wanna know, maybe you oughta be on the look out since that Tieflin' was into all kinds of unsavory business if you catch my drift, maybe someone thinks youse was runnin' in the same association and what not that he was, might not be good for your health if catch my meaning." Frank shrugs his shoulders, such that they are, repeatedly as he addresses the party.

Aria looks at the mess of a dummy and sighs. Pog is definitely not going to be happy about that. She turns her attention back to Frank. Sunkx? She pauses for a quick moment. Wait a minute, how long were you watching us for? And what do you know about what he was into, Frank? She points her fingers at him

And who is this message from exactly?  Sen asks.  Who do you work for, Frank?

Frank says, "AY, OH, AY, OH, what is this, some kinda inquis... inquis... some kinda trial over here? I'm just a honest bird tryin' to do youse all a favor, don't look a gift raven in the mouth."

"CRAW CRAW" say the other ravens, punctuating his indigence. 

"As I was sayin', if any of you is so interested, you can find that Tieflin' you did a job for down at the morgue, I dunno if they're gonna cut him up or not, you know how sick summa those, what's it called, doctors can get, me, I think they just like messin' around with bodies, buncha freaks..."

Frank flies onto a nearby rooftop.

"See ya around... Hey... Hey, who's that owl! What the fu... Let's get outta here, boys!" the ravens take flight, Usul's owl trailing them.

"I'm not sure what I expected from a raven... though that's probably about it." Usul replies, somewhat chuckling. He continues a bit more seriously "Though I have to admit... I'm curious how this, Frank was it?, knew about our helping that dude before. He doesn't seem the type to just help us out for no reason... and who cast the spell to let him speak with us?" At this he pulls his pipe out and starts to light it looking around ((perception 21)), adding quietly "also... not sure if y'all remember... the backpack we found near the boom under the Portal... it kinda looked like the one we delivered..."

Aria sighs and mutters softly the last words Sunkx said to her in drunken infernal. "Long live the revolution!" She turns to the party and looks at Usul. I'm almost certain that Sunkx wasn't working alone. We really should get down to the morgue. See if we can't figure out what happened to him. And more importantly why Frank thinks we could be next.