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Post by cealia on Oct 28, 2007 18:10:08 GMT -5
"Yeah, money. Get ourselves some good weapons, armor, anything else we may need. Like food. Let's take the merchant job." Wynd suggests.
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Post by Sin on Oct 28, 2007 22:00:24 GMT -5
"This might work out nicely. Escort the merchant, have some fun, and lay in wait for the Captain once we're done..."
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Post by keno on Oct 29, 2007 9:05:19 GMT -5
Marvin is all in for a little killing/robbery action.
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Post by TG Barighm on Oct 29, 2007 10:08:26 GMT -5
[glow=blue,6,300]UPDATE[/glow] ***************
Finally! Some action. We look for this merchant and find him drinking in a small inn.
There really isn't much to say at this point. The merchant is happy to see us, we need to stay calm to complete the ruse, so nothing unexpected happens and the merchant rents us a room. He pays us 10g each, then we meet him the next morning outside of the inn. After a few more details are dealt with-I buy a healing wand-we are off.
The merchant has two covered carts and a couple big horses to pull them. He rides on the lead cart while the rest of us quietly follow. I take a quick peak inside the carts to get an idea of our reward and am a little disappointed to find mundane items, like books, pottery, and dry spices. He better have some coin.
We leave Gold Road and set out on the road through the grassy hills. Roughly a few hours into our journey, a good two hours out of sight of Gold Road, just as the spires of Jumelwyn are beginning to come into view, we decide to launch our attack. We make sure there aren't any witnesses first-Wynd runs a little scouting mission to check-and then we ransack the carts. Marvin and Blaine beat up the merchant without any trouble whatsover, while Wynd and I search the carts.
What can I say? We don't find much, but there is a good amount of coin in a small chest near the merchant's seat, and his mace is high quality. And, of course, there is the matter of dealing with the merchant.
TREASURE:
-400 silver coins each -100 gold coins each -A pouch filled with gems (possibly 150gp worth each) -MW Mace -A bundle of shortbows -Arrows and bolts
What does the party do with the merchant?
* * * * *
Shortly after discovering the coin, a group of guys dressed in decent clothes and equipped with respectable weapons and armor suddenly appear from behind a hill and charge us. There are only six of them, and they don't seem to be very organized. They approach the carts in a haphazard manner, and when they finally reach us, they stop. They are confused to see us counting coin and pinning the merchant on the ground.
"Hey, wait a minute. This is supposed to be our robbery," one of the men whine. I guess they are supposed to be bandits.
"You swine! Is this why you left?" the merchant shouts.
I laugh. "Good gods, are you his previous guards? You left him so you could rob him?" I turn to the merchant. "My, aren't you unpopular among sell-swords."
One of the bandits level a sword at me. "Don't laugh! We had this planned out and everything. You guys are messing this up."
"Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?"
The "bandits" shuffle around a bit and stare, but they don't attack. They look nervous. Maybe this is their first robbery or something, but they don't see too eager to fight for their reward.
What does the party do with the wayward bandits?
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Post by keno on Oct 29, 2007 12:08:25 GMT -5
Marvin will have taken a shortbow and some arrows (a quiver full, so 20 if available).
Marvin advocates killing the merchant in a painful manner before disposing of the corpse in any readily available copse of trees. When the bandits show up, he answers the question of what to do with them by lobbing a blob of acid toward the leader.
"Don't let any of them escape," he hisses.
(If not pressed into melee, he'll alternate between peppering with acid and peppering with arrows)
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Post by TG Barighm on Oct 29, 2007 13:24:17 GMT -5
[glow=blue,6,300]UPDATE[/glow] ***************
The spellsword decides to make his judgment swift and painful. Before any one of us can say anything else to the ex-merchant guards, he lobs a ball of acid at the foremost guy.
Well, that takes care of that little problem. He hits, of course. This Marvin character has a good aim. As for the guards, they're completely unnerved by Marvin's hostile attitude and flee the scene. Marvin suggests we go after them.
Sounds like a good idea to me. Gold Road is still too close for comfort.
* * *
Marvin has already dealt with the bandits and now they're fleeing. Marvin suggests the party chase them down.
*New quest added
-- Chase down the bandits and prevent them from telling anyone about the robbery.
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Post by cealia on Oct 29, 2007 14:09:14 GMT -5
Wynd says, "I'll get them."
She'll run after them, then push them down from behind, trample them a bit and then cut their heads off.
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Post by keno on Oct 29, 2007 14:46:03 GMT -5
Marvin will aid in the chase. He'll try to dispatch any that Wynd knocks down but fails to actually kill.
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Post by TG Barighm on Oct 29, 2007 15:29:49 GMT -5
*That would leave Blaine alone with the merchant, btw. I thought Sin would enjoy that little tidbit of info.
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Post by TG Barighm on Oct 29, 2007 18:03:13 GMT -5
[glow=blue,6,300]UPDATE[/glow] ***************
The centaur goes after the fleeing bandits, as does the spellsword and I. Marvin fires a few arrows at the bandits as they run and easily strikes them in the back or shoulder. This doesn't cause them to fall, but that's what the centaur is for. Wynd easily outpaces the bandits as she gallops up to them, then begins knocking them down or slashing at them with her sword. One guy gets lucky because of a wide slash, but another is dragged to the ground. She goes so fast, that's all she can do before her speed carries her past the other four guys.
That's where me and Marvin come in. The spellsword takes great pleasure in slicing the throat of the one tripped bandit, while I wrestle with my stupid crossbow. The thing didn't fire!
Wynd comes back around now and does the tripping and slashing thing again. Another bandit kisses the dirt while a head is freed from its body and enjoys a great deal of hang-time during its brief flight through the air (Crit.). Wynd wheels around and tramples the bandit she just knocked down, crushing his skull in the process, but misses when she tries to hack at one of the remaining two bandits.
The bandits have reached the crest of the hill. I'm still trying to figure out what is wrong with this blasted crossbow while envying Marvin's simpler device: his arrow slices through the air, but it falls short. Doesn't matter though because Wynd greets the bandits at the top of the hill and proceeds to hack at them some more. The bandits narrowly escape again and continue running. Wynd chases them out of sight and Marvin stops to catch his breath.
I join Marvin and watch the now quiet and serene landscape for any sign of the centaur. A light wind brushes my face, cooling the sweat that has built on my brow. You would never think that such terrain, in all of its natural beauty, could ever host a bloody skirmish like this.
A sudden yelp cuts through the air. A few moments later, Wynd returns with a pair of bloodied heads in each of her hands. She has a slight wound of her own on the rear leg. When she reaches us, she explains one of them tried to fight her off. It's nothing serious, so we return to the carts and collect the treasure.
EXP: +300 each
*Anything else? Will the party try to clean up the robbery scene? When Blaine says the party should wait for Renallo, does he mean camp out on the road until he passes?
**Wynd: -5 HP
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Post by Sin on Oct 29, 2007 19:34:24 GMT -5
And here I was going to suggest the very same thing. ^_^
Not quite on the road, but near enough to ambush the Captain on his way back into town. Preferably somewhere slightly hidden.
As for the merchant, I won't go into details, but by the time the combatants get back onto the scene, he's missing his tongue, one eye, three fingers, and his pants are soaked with blood. Though he doesn't seem to be all that hurt, just unconscious and still very much alive.
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Post by cealia on Oct 29, 2007 21:55:00 GMT -5
"Someone had fun. Hey, I got some heads here. Want them?" Wynd asks Blaine.
Wynd will take 1,000 gp. "I need this for my new sword that that mean guy stole from me."
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Post by keno on Oct 30, 2007 8:20:27 GMT -5
Marvin advocates hiding the evidence, quickly but efficiently.
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Post by TG Barighm on Oct 30, 2007 13:13:15 GMT -5
Correction: the merchant passed out after losing his tongue.
The coin was split evenly between the entire party, but you may take more. Problem is, if you do so, you're taking more than your fair share from a group of evil characters. Will Wynd still take the gold?
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Post by cealia on Oct 30, 2007 13:27:46 GMT -5
no she won't.
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Post by TG Barighm on Oct 30, 2007 13:50:35 GMT -5
Okay, so everyone gets their stuff together. Marvin suggests removing the evidence of the attack, which the party does fairly well. Wynd moves the carts out of view of the road while Blaine, Marvin, and Dagg search for bodies and arrows and moves them. Blaine maintains the merchant as a prisoner.
The party builds a camp using the materials from the cart just beyond a hill by the road. They also have the two packhorses, who can be ridden with the proper equipment, or sold, and sufficiently more coin and valuable goods.
It's been a full day since anyone has eaten or drank any water, so the entire party is hungry and a little thirsty. Captain Renallo will not be returning from Jumelwyn until the next day.
Any final preparations before the ambush?
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Post by keno on Oct 30, 2007 14:32:16 GMT -5
food
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Post by cealia on Oct 30, 2007 14:36:42 GMT -5
yar. food.
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Post by TG Barighm on Oct 30, 2007 15:04:20 GMT -5
"Food"? Visit the inn and buy a meal, or buy bread and cheese for your journey? Or buy preserved trail rations? Or...anything else I'm missing?
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Post by keno on Oct 30, 2007 15:52:02 GMT -5
(can we get to town and back quickly?)
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Post by TG Barighm on Oct 30, 2007 16:25:30 GMT -5
(Yeah you're only a few hours out. It's only mid-day)
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Post by Sin on Oct 30, 2007 20:19:07 GMT -5
Sorry, should have specified for the sake of the DM. >_> Blaine will blow a CLW off on the Merchant if it looks like he's dropping below 0. Sometimes, it's a great thing that Cure spells don't regenerate lost limbs. Anyways, I'd imagine the Merchant had some food and water on him. Might as well make use of that.
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Post by cealia on Oct 30, 2007 22:30:36 GMT -5
yeah. would rather do that then go back to town.
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Post by TG Barighm on Oct 31, 2007 10:17:14 GMT -5
(It's more of a check thing. The merchant does have to make Fort. saves to avoid passing out and all that)
(Nope. The trip to Jumelwyn would have been completed within the day, so he didn't bother to grab any food or water).
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Post by keno on Oct 31, 2007 12:02:05 GMT -5
From their vantage point, can Marvin see any farms or homesteads outlying the town?
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Post by TG Barighm on Oct 31, 2007 12:42:08 GMT -5
(No, there doesn't appear to be any near Gold Road. This doesn't surprise Marvin because he is aware of the high bandit activity in this area)
(Just to keep things from getting hung up on food, the party journeys to Gold Road, buys a simple meal and a drink, then returns to their camp. Blaine uses a regular heal spell on the merchant) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[glow=blue,6,300]UPDATE[/glow] ***************
Full and adequately satisfied, we return to our camp by the road in preparation for Captain Renallo's arrival, but not before learning news of our escape from the dungeon has begun to spread. That's not too good. I hope these guys don't plan to dawdle in this area for very long. Thankfully, no bandits bother us during the night.
They are intent on killing Renallo, so we'll stick around for now.
At around noon, we spot a prosession of guards making their way up the road towards Gold Road. Hiding behind the hill, we watch them as they approach the location of the merchant robbery. It only takes a few moments for us to identify Captain Renallo. He's the only guy on a horse. The rest of his lackeys, which are 5 in number, have to walk. What a selfish asshole.
Renallo still has the crossbow he used to shove into my face, plus a sword. The other guys have longbows and halberds, two of which with bows already drawn and ready for use.
They suddenly come to a halt. One of the Hands points at something in our direction. We duck down, but after a moment we realize he is actually pointing at the ground. The Hand says something to Renallo, then comes running out to investigate the subject of his attention. The Hand runs about 40 ft. off the road, bends down, and picks up a brownish, fuzzy thing, roughly the size of a large ball. After a few moments, I recognize the head Wynd lopped off so hard it went flying.
This guard begins surveying the hills before him, which includes our hiding spot, but he doesn't spot us. Instead, he returns to Renallo with the head. They seem to be discussing something.
I turn to my comrades, who have begun readying weapons. "He's distracted now. It's a good 100 ft. run to the road. How are we going to do this? I can see him running like the coward he is if we attack too swiftly. We might have to use a little strategy here."
The party currently hides behind the crest of a hill and have the high ground. Renallo is 100 ft. away. How will the party approach?
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Post by keno on Oct 31, 2007 13:56:38 GMT -5
Marvin suggests they fan out around the hill then, he'll taunt Renallo and try to get him to come up the hill, challenging him to a one on one duel. He'll shoot a ray of frost at Renallo when he closes within 30ft, otherwise he'll remaining on full defense, dodging the charging horse in necessary.
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Post by TG Barighm on Nov 1, 2007 10:24:51 GMT -5
[glow=red,6,300]UPDATE[/glow] ************** Nobody has any objection to the spellsword's plan, so we fan out while Marvin steps into the open and begins taunting Renallo. I'm not really sure what Marvin is saying to piss the captain off. I'm too busy watching his reaction. Renallo and the Hands look up at Marvin, but from this distance it's a little difficult to read their faces. They exchange looks, then the entire group begin to approach the hill. When they get fairly close, Marvin challenges Renallo to a duel. Now I can see Renallo's face. He looks amused. Renallo doesn't seem to recognize Marvin, so the spellsword reminds the good captain of the events at the dungeon. Renallo laughs. "Oh, it's you. What, your friends leave you to die? I guess they were the smart ones. You want to die, fool, you will die. Men, cut him down!" He has no idea what's coming... Marvin fires off a nearly invisible wisp of piercing cold energy at the captain as he kicks at his horse. The energy strikes the captain rather easily (-2 HP) as the horse gallops towards the spellsword. Marvin is expecting the charge and easily dives out of the way, but Renallo manages to slice at the spellsword's back as he rides by (-4 HP). Now the four Hands arrive on the scene. The two with their bows hang back to fire arrows, while the other two with the halberds charge onto the hill crest. Renallo wheels around, and prepares for another charge. We better attack soon or Marvin is a sitting duck. "Is there no better way to test a warrior's battle prowess?"What? Are you suggesting we leave him to die? "It would be his own fault."**Don't forget: 2 rounds of combat actions. ALWAYS. MAP: (Sorry about the green box) **Renallo -2 HP STATUS LINE: ============================================== Wynd: -2 HP Marvin: -4 HP, SpU-Lv.0 x1
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Post by keno on Nov 1, 2007 11:00:55 GMT -5
Marvin will turn and lob a blob of acid at Renallo before moving toward Wynd.
"Come on you bastards," he mutters, "attack!"
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Post by cealia on Nov 1, 2007 11:11:01 GMT -5
(is that piece of land right next to the crossbow guys a cliff and they are below it?)
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