This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Danse grit his teeth as the crocodile bit into him, the smile on his face pulling slightly more taut. "It's injured!" he yelled, slashing down twice more where he assumes the crocodile's small brain would be.
The first attack was a remarkable strike as the blade sunk deeply into the croc's head, but his other arm was too restrained to properly time a blow. Still, though, Danse's scimitar connected and severed the spinal cord just behind the monstrosity's jaw. Danse felt the telltale sensation of the grip around his arm weakening, and as he drew the blade out the crocodile slumped into the water, submerging for good.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Kaisaras would fire another bolt into the back of the crocodile before rushing over to Krustin's body and reaching down to pull him back up to the deck. He was no medic, as stated before, but he knew that if nothing else, having the boy drown wouldn't help his chances of survival.
As he worked on the bloodied body of the crime lord, the cleric mumbled a near-continuous stream of obscenities under his breath. This foul creature deserved death, but not on his terms, not standing on his feet fighting his fate. He deserved to die the slow death of a prisoner in a deep dark dungeon. The death brought on by fear and famine, by loneliness and lice, by the dark and the damp. Feeling the body give under his ministrations, the dwarf's voice rose into a booming proclamation:
'By the strength of Gond, I hold you back from the beyond and claim your life for him, to hold you to atone for your deeds.'
As the crime lord sputters back to life, the dwarf would flip him onto his stomach, clamping his hands painfully into place with a sturdy set of manacles. Manacles forged by Gond's grace and the clerics own hands for just such a moment. A deep breath, a moment's pause as he reveled in a job done well. He then call out to the others 'We need a plan now boyyos. We've got Himself-himself here trussed up nice and neat like, a gaggle of chill'dn upstairs that need seeing to, a room over there that holds any manner of horrors - and you lot look like you;ve been through a near grinder.... '
His voice trailing off to a whisper as his eyes sweep past the badly wounded swordsman, to the sputtering artificer, finally landing on the broken corpse of their boisterous friend. Leveraging himself off of Guedrun's body - and digging his knee painfully into his back as he does - the cleric moves to their fallen comrade. Checking him over it's quickly apparent that Brocks injuries and his time under the water have pulled him beyond the reach of the cleric's meager power to stave off death's demands.
'I owed ye a shiny baubble, and I'll see that yer buried it with it boyyo'. Rough calloused hands gently stroke the fighter's eyelids closed, giving him at least the illusion of peace.
(I'll flesh out a more thoughtful post when I have more time. Danse is taking his remaining levels until Wizard 6, if the campaign ever runs that far, into Wizard - think more carnival-like, magic-trick performances rather than strict casting!)
New Abilities!
Spellcasting
Cantrips - Green-Flame Blade, Minor Illusion, Sword Burst.
First Level Spells (2 slots, 6 in spellbook, 4 prepared): Detect Magic, Find Familiar (falcon, hopefully an owl can be reflavored as one! They're quite popular in circuses for bird tamers), Ice Knife, Magic Missile, Shield, Thunderwave.
Four prepared would be Ice Knife, Magic Missile, Shield, and Thunderwave.
Kurstin feels weightless but senses a rising feeling. "Is this it? Am I going to the great beyond?" the thought flits through his mind, barely registering. But then his body feels a hardness again - his lungs heave brackish water out and stale air in. His heart jump-starts and pounds his life essence once again, and he understands that he will not die yet. Although he would not be doing much else for a while - the crocodile had nearly severed his arm and shoulder. Still, he knew that he had one last job to accomplish...crawling over to Brock, he presses a small stone into the dead man's hands. At the touch of the artificer, the party can catch the distant sound of a young girl laughing. It was his magical stone with Irma's laughing from a birthday party years ago.
"Rest well, Brock. May the sound of laughter fill your ears for eternity. You will be missed."
Kaisaras gives a long sigh as he stares down at Brock's corpse. The man was a brute, clearly....but he clearly had good enough intentions. He wasn't much for religion, the gods lived in their own realm, and mortals theirs, but still.....he held up an open palm in light prayer for the man's soul. Mummering lightly under his breath, "Gods...guide this one to greater pastures. Where his rage might learn peace. His fists might open to palms of peace. His pain turn to relief. And rest be found in knowing his business done. Guide him to the place his deeds and intentions have brought him." Once the prayer was done, he would raise his head slightly to glance at the still prone and manacled body of Lamm.
Straightening out his shoulders, Kaisaras spoke up to the party, "Let's get back upstairs. We'll take the kids and a small cart, throw Lamm inside and take him to a guard I know. They'll have the connections to see that he's properly interrogated and every crime this fiend's committed is paid for." The young man would begin to wrap up his face with his scarf, cleaning it with a snap of his fingers as he pulled his hood back up. Glancing at Kurstin, he'd ask, "You feeling that you're good to move? You should all know, that the place I have in mind is the Korvosan Guard headquarters. So it'll be an hour walk at the least."
If and when the party was good to move, Kaisaras would begin returning upstairs, so to find the kids, before looking for a possible cart or wagon to carry Lamm's body in. If not, he'll wrap the bastard up in a blanket and have them move.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Wait... my natural curiosity wants to see what's in that locked room before we go. Give me a second to get the lock opened." Kurstin carefully moves over to the door, his injuries slowing his normally quick pace. He carefully takes out his tools and sets to checking the door and lock for traps before trying to pick the lock. Investigation for traps: 14 Thieves' Tools: 22
Struggling to control the lockpicks, Kurstin makes an audible gasp. "Duh! I have keys...man, my head is still a bit fuzzy." He pulls the two keys out of his belt pouch and tries them in the lock.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
With two sickening squelches as his blades are removed, Danse kicked the crocodile's corpse away. Not one for standing idle, the exuberant swordsman rapidly shrugged off the bleeding injury on his arm, casting a look around the room to notice the unmoving bodies of Brock and Gaedren. An eye for an eye. A perfect tragedy. Seeing no pressing threats, Danse accelerated the circular spinning of his scimitars to propel water and blood alike from the blades before stowing them both in the scabbards across his waist. "Touche, Brock," Danse replied, giving a rather ostentatious bow and charming grin, "No stories are complete without a fitting tragedy." Danse then overheard the conversation about turning Gaedren over to the guards. His usually spotless performer's grin momentarily tightened. He was not prepared to release Gaedren where he could potentially talk his way out of, but alas - Gaedren was defeated, for now. Danse steeled himself, briskly walking to accompany Kurstin near the door - without Brock, Danse would likely be the only one comfortable fighting in the front line.
Prior/As Kurstin Opened the door: Seeing Kurstin an Danse head over to the door to tamper with its lock, Kaisaras bent down by Lamm's body and ruffled through it. He wasn't looking for anything in particular, he just wanted to make sure the man was completely disarmed, and without some way to free himself if and when he woke up. Once he felt he was clean, he'd drag the man over to the door as Kurstin comedically recalled he had a key and opened it.
Once the door swung open, Kaisaras would cringe his nose as the smell slightly. It was far from the worst thing he'd smelled in his life, but that didn't make the scent any less unpleasant. Still, snapping his fingers to freshen up the room a tad bit, he stepped inside and raised an eyebrow at the ledger. Half hoping to find more proof of Lamm's crimes, he plucked it up, regretting it momentarily as the texture forced him to snap his free hand again to dry and clean the small book. Before attempting to investigate the contents, he glanced about the room and at the two boxes, before his head looked back to the party, "Jackpot I suppose...or as close as we can get to one with that kind of scumbag."
Kurstin nearly vomited at the stench of the room, but managed to hold it down. He moved slowly to the locked strongbox and tried both keys hopefully. When neither one opened the old lock, he attempted to pick it open with his tools while the others investigated the rest of the room. (Thieves' Tools: 23) The lock quickly opened, and he opened the box to see what was inside!
Later, he would also review the document, hoping to gain some additional information about what Lamm had done to his sister , or what he made her do. It might help him ease her back into normal life and talk with her if he had some additional facts and information ahead of time. (Investigation: 23)
Radgar steps into the disgusting room, looking about at the filthy and disarray. Seeing Kurstin examining the journal, the cleric lays a hand on his shoulder Guidance4'That feels like a critical bit of information there, look closely'
@Kai - You don't find much on Gaedren besides a long rusty dagger and some extra crossbow bolts he never had the chance to use. You do notice though that his gross padded vest has the faintest hints of magic coming off of it (it's +1 padded armor) and inside one of the breast pockets is a small potion of healing that surprisingly survived all of the party's attacks.
@Kurstin - The contents of the strongbox will be revealed in the next recap. The box is not trapped though.
Cleaning up the vest with some quick magic, then cleaning it again just for good measure, Kaisaras keeps the vest he finds on Gaedren, as well as the bolts and potion. Already carrying more daggers than he rightfully should ever need, he tosses the rusty dagger to the side.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Danse made some muted joke to himself upon entry to the filthy room, barking his usual, jarring laugh. Seeing the others already investigating their various purposes for arriving on this mission, he continued to mutter to himself, varying in tone and speed. He traced a hand along the grimy desk, disgustedly flicking his hand to remove the dirt. Gaedren is an animal. He deserves nothing but death. He glanced around the room. These people will turn him in to the authorities. Who knows how many pies this man has his tentacles in. He could weasel his way through and escape somewhere. Danse retrieved the pack of cards he carries in one of the many pockets in his entertainer's cloak, idly shuffling and juggling some cards. It seemed the Half-Elf couldn't stay idle for long. Danse lifts the crossbow and respective bolts from Gaedren's limp body - even if it was in poor quality, it could be sold, and for one living in Danse's conditions, any amount of coin proves useful.
Danse will investigate for any proof of connections Gaedren might have within the city guard, including the one listed on the primary document. Investigation: 15
"Let's find what we can and make our way out of here. More needs to be mended than simply our injuries - there are children above who are likely quite traumatized. It is the least we can do to honor Brock's wishes."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Radgar makes his way over to the severed head of the fortune teller - the woman who brought them all together. (Medicine check 24). Staggered from the stench, the cleric stumbles back from the rotted head, cough and choking from the flies in swirling and out of his mouth.
'By Gond's fury this place is foul. Let's gather what evidence we can and be gone from this place.'
Looking about he notices Kurstin cracking open the lockbox, and leans over his shoulder 'Oy there boyyo, lemme see that brooch.' Turning the fine piece over in his hands and carefully examining it, the dwarf recognizes the Queen's Brooch for the treasure that it is.
'Standby and standback, give me a minute with this haul and I can make sure we're not missing anything.' He pulls the items out one by one and arranges them on the floor in front of him. Puling a set of calipers and a small brazier, the dwarf begins mumbling under his breath as he carefully examines each and every element. (ritual cast Identify).
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Kurstin was amazed at the haul of items in the chest - especially compared to the state of the rooms Lamm inhabited. He looked over each item with interest, saying, "I wonder who these all belonged to, and if they want them back. As much as I'd like to keep some of these, we should turn them in to the authorities to be returned to their rightful owners." (History: 18) "Hey - look at this dagger! Do you remember that notorious serial killer, who terrorized the city back between 4690 and 4697? This dagger has the unique style and shape as that used by them! They infamously killed over 20 people during this stretch before disappearing without a trace. I wonder if it was Lamm?!"
He then goes over to the hat box and sees the severed head of Zellara. He covers his mouth and nose, but stares intently at it. (Medicine: 18) "Doesn't it look like her head has been in this box for a several days? How is it that we talked with her earlier today? A twin sister, maybe? Or her ghost?!!?"
Danse grit his teeth as the crocodile bit into him, the smile on his face pulling slightly more taut. "It's injured!" he yelled, slashing down twice more where he assumes the crocodile's small brain would be.
Action: Scimitar Attack: 22 Damage: 4
Bonus Action: Scimitar Attack: 10 Damage: 4
The first attack was a remarkable strike as the blade sunk deeply into the croc's head, but his other arm was too restrained to properly time a blow. Still, though, Danse's scimitar connected and severed the spinal cord just behind the monstrosity's jaw. Danse felt the telltale sensation of the grip around his arm weakening, and as he drew the blade out the crocodile slumped into the water, submerging for good.
Kaisaras would fire another bolt into the back of the crocodile before rushing over to Krustin's body and reaching down to pull him back up to the deck. He was no medic, as stated before, but he knew that if nothing else, having the boy drown wouldn't help his chances of survival.
Attack: 7 Damage: 8
Zoldier's Curse of the Crimson Throne
Chapter 035 - Fallen Comrade
Reference Docs & Info
Zoldier’s Curse of the Crimson Throne: DM/ Redii || Zoldier's Strange Aeon's: DM
Scene 1
As he worked on the bloodied body of the crime lord, the cleric mumbled a near-continuous stream of obscenities under his breath. This foul creature deserved death, but not on his terms, not standing on his feet fighting his fate. He deserved to die the slow death of a prisoner in a deep dark dungeon. The death brought on by fear and famine, by loneliness and lice, by the dark and the damp. Feeling the body give under his ministrations, the dwarf's voice rose into a booming proclamation:
'By the strength of Gond, I hold you back from the beyond and claim your life for him, to hold you to atone for your deeds.'
As the crime lord sputters back to life, the dwarf would flip him onto his stomach, clamping his hands painfully into place with a sturdy set of manacles. Manacles forged by Gond's grace and the clerics own hands for just such a moment. A deep breath, a moment's pause as he reveled in a job done well. He then call out to the others 'We need a plan now boyyos. We've got Himself-himself here trussed up nice and neat like, a gaggle of chill'dn upstairs that need seeing to, a room over there that holds any manner of horrors - and you lot look like you;ve been through a near grinder.... '
His voice trailing off to a whisper as his eyes sweep past the badly wounded swordsman, to the sputtering artificer, finally landing on the broken corpse of their boisterous friend. Leveraging himself off of Guedrun's body - and digging his knee painfully into his back as he does - the cleric moves to their fallen comrade. Checking him over it's quickly apparent that Brocks injuries and his time under the water have pulled him beyond the reach of the cleric's meager power to stave off death's demands.
'I owed ye a shiny baubble, and I'll see that yer buried it with it boyyo'. Rough calloused hands gently stroke the fighter's eyelids closed, giving him at least the illusion of peace.
(I'll flesh out a more thoughtful post when I have more time. Danse is taking his remaining levels until Wizard 6, if the campaign ever runs that far, into Wizard - think more carnival-like, magic-trick performances rather than strict casting!)
New Abilities!
Kurstin feels weightless but senses a rising feeling. "Is this it? Am I going to the great beyond?" the thought flits through his mind, barely registering. But then his body feels a hardness again - his lungs heave brackish water out and stale air in. His heart jump-starts and pounds his life essence once again, and he understands that he will not die yet. Although he would not be doing much else for a while - the crocodile had nearly severed his arm and shoulder. Still, he knew that he had one last job to accomplish...crawling over to Brock, he presses a small stone into the dead man's hands. At the touch of the artificer, the party can catch the distant sound of a young girl laughing. It was his magical stone with Irma's laughing from a birthday party years ago.
"Rest well, Brock. May the sound of laughter fill your ears for eternity. You will be missed."
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Kaisaras gives a long sigh as he stares down at Brock's corpse. The man was a brute, clearly....but he clearly had good enough intentions. He wasn't much for religion, the gods lived in their own realm, and mortals theirs, but still.....he held up an open palm in light prayer for the man's soul. Mummering lightly under his breath, "Gods...guide this one to greater pastures. Where his rage might learn peace. His fists might open to palms of peace. His pain turn to relief. And rest be found in knowing his business done. Guide him to the place his deeds and intentions have brought him." Once the prayer was done, he would raise his head slightly to glance at the still prone and manacled body of Lamm.
Straightening out his shoulders, Kaisaras spoke up to the party, "Let's get back upstairs. We'll take the kids and a small cart, throw Lamm inside and take him to a guard I know. They'll have the connections to see that he's properly interrogated and every crime this fiend's committed is paid for." The young man would begin to wrap up his face with his scarf, cleaning it with a snap of his fingers as he pulled his hood back up. Glancing at Kurstin, he'd ask, "You feeling that you're good to move? You should all know, that the place I have in mind is the Korvosan Guard headquarters. So it'll be an hour walk at the least."
If and when the party was good to move, Kaisaras would begin returning upstairs, so to find the kids, before looking for a possible cart or wagon to carry Lamm's body in. If not, he'll wrap the bastard up in a blanket and have them move.
"Wait... my natural curiosity wants to see what's in that locked room before we go. Give me a second to get the lock opened." Kurstin carefully moves over to the door, his injuries slowing his normally quick pace. He carefully takes out his tools and sets to checking the door and lock for traps before trying to pick the lock.
Investigation for traps: 14
Thieves' Tools: 22
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Struggling to control the lockpicks, Kurstin makes an audible gasp. "Duh! I have keys...man, my head is still a bit fuzzy." He pulls the two keys out of his belt pouch and tries them in the lock.
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
With two sickening squelches as his blades are removed, Danse kicked the crocodile's corpse away. Not one for standing idle, the exuberant swordsman rapidly shrugged off the bleeding injury on his arm, casting a look around the room to notice the unmoving bodies of Brock and Gaedren. An eye for an eye. A perfect tragedy. Seeing no pressing threats, Danse accelerated the circular spinning of his scimitars to propel water and blood alike from the blades before stowing them both in the scabbards across his waist. "Touche, Brock," Danse replied, giving a rather ostentatious bow and charming grin, "No stories are complete without a fitting tragedy." Danse then overheard the conversation about turning Gaedren over to the guards. His usually spotless performer's grin momentarily tightened. He was not prepared to release Gaedren where he could potentially talk his way out of, but alas - Gaedren was defeated, for now. Danse steeled himself, briskly walking to accompany Kurstin near the door - without Brock, Danse would likely be the only one comfortable fighting in the front line.
Second Wind: 5
Zoldier's Curse of the Crimson Throne
Chapter 036 - Rest Well
Reference Docs & Info
Zoldier’s Curse of the Crimson Throne: DM/ Redii || Zoldier's Strange Aeon's: DM
Prior/As Kurstin Opened the door:
Seeing Kurstin an Danse head over to the door to tamper with its lock, Kaisaras bent down by Lamm's body and ruffled through it. He wasn't looking for anything in particular, he just wanted to make sure the man was completely disarmed, and without some way to free himself if and when he woke up. Once he felt he was clean, he'd drag the man over to the door as Kurstin comedically recalled he had a key and opened it.
Once the door swung open, Kaisaras would cringe his nose as the smell slightly. It was far from the worst thing he'd smelled in his life, but that didn't make the scent any less unpleasant. Still, snapping his fingers to freshen up the room a tad bit, he stepped inside and raised an eyebrow at the ledger. Half hoping to find more proof of Lamm's crimes, he plucked it up, regretting it momentarily as the texture forced him to snap his free hand again to dry and clean the small book. Before attempting to investigate the contents, he glanced about the room and at the two boxes, before his head looked back to the party, "Jackpot I suppose...or as close as we can get to one with that kind of scumbag."
Investigation: 16
Kurstin nearly vomited at the stench of the room, but managed to hold it down. He moved slowly to the locked strongbox and tried both keys hopefully. When neither one opened the old lock, he attempted to pick it open with his tools while the others investigated the rest of the room. (Thieves' Tools: 23) The lock quickly opened, and he opened the box to see what was inside!
Later, he would also review the document, hoping to gain some additional information about what Lamm had done to his sister , or what he made her do. It might help him ease her back into normal life and talk with her if he had some additional facts and information ahead of time. (Investigation: 23)
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Radgar steps into the disgusting room, looking about at the filthy and disarray. Seeing Kurstin examining the journal, the cleric lays a hand on his shoulder Guidance 4 'That feels like a critical bit of information there, look closely'
@Kai - You don't find much on Gaedren besides a long rusty dagger and some extra crossbow bolts he never had the chance to use. You do notice though that his gross padded vest has the faintest hints of magic coming off of it (it's +1 padded armor) and inside one of the breast pockets is a small potion of healing that surprisingly survived all of the party's attacks.
@Kurstin - The contents of the strongbox will be revealed in the next recap. The box is not trapped though.
Zoldier’s Curse of the Crimson Throne: DM/ Redii || Zoldier's Strange Aeon's: DM
Cleaning up the vest with some quick magic, then cleaning it again just for good measure, Kaisaras keeps the vest he finds on Gaedren, as well as the bolts and potion. Already carrying more daggers than he rightfully should ever need, he tosses the rusty dagger to the side.
Danse made some muted joke to himself upon entry to the filthy room, barking his usual, jarring laugh. Seeing the others already investigating their various purposes for arriving on this mission, he continued to mutter to himself, varying in tone and speed. He traced a hand along the grimy desk, disgustedly flicking his hand to remove the dirt. Gaedren is an animal. He deserves nothing but death. He glanced around the room. These people will turn him in to the authorities. Who knows how many pies this man has his tentacles in. He could weasel his way through and escape somewhere. Danse retrieved the pack of cards he carries in one of the many pockets in his entertainer's cloak, idly shuffling and juggling some cards. It seemed the Half-Elf couldn't stay idle for long. Danse lifts the crossbow and respective bolts from Gaedren's limp body - even if it was in poor quality, it could be sold, and for one living in Danse's conditions, any amount of coin proves useful.
Danse will investigate for any proof of connections Gaedren might have within the city guard, including the one listed on the primary document. Investigation: 15
"Let's find what we can and make our way out of here. More needs to be mended than simply our injuries - there are children above who are likely quite traumatized. It is the least we can do to honor Brock's wishes."
Zoldier's Curse of the Crimson Throne
Chapter 037 - Unboxing
Reference Docs & Info
Zoldier’s Curse of the Crimson Throne: DM/ Redii || Zoldier's Strange Aeon's: DM
Radgar makes his way over to the severed head of the fortune teller - the woman who brought them all together. (Medicine check 24). Staggered from the stench, the cleric stumbles back from the rotted head, cough and choking from the flies in swirling and out of his mouth.
'By Gond's fury this place is foul. Let's gather what evidence we can and be gone from this place.'
Looking about he notices Kurstin cracking open the lockbox, and leans over his shoulder 'Oy there boyyo, lemme see that brooch.' Turning the fine piece over in his hands and carefully examining it, the dwarf recognizes the Queen's Brooch for the treasure that it is.
'Standby and standback, give me a minute with this haul and I can make sure we're not missing anything.' He pulls the items out one by one and arranges them on the floor in front of him. Puling a set of calipers and a small brazier, the dwarf begins mumbling under his breath as he carefully examines each and every element. (ritual cast Identify).
(everything on the chart is fine)
Kurstin was amazed at the haul of items in the chest - especially compared to the state of the rooms Lamm inhabited. He looked over each item with interest, saying, "I wonder who these all belonged to, and if they want them back. As much as I'd like to keep some of these, we should turn them in to the authorities to be returned to their rightful owners." (History: 18) "Hey - look at this dagger! Do you remember that notorious serial killer, who terrorized the city back between 4690 and 4697? This dagger has the unique style and shape as that used by them! They infamously killed over 20 people during this stretch before disappearing without a trace. I wonder if it was Lamm?!"
He then goes over to the hat box and sees the severed head of Zellara. He covers his mouth and nose, but stares intently at it. (Medicine: 18) "Doesn't it look like her head has been in this box for a several days? How is it that we talked with her earlier today? A twin sister, maybe? Or her ghost?!!?"
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?