Dr. Si's Curse of the Crimson Throne - Seven Days to the Grave

Dr Simon · Apr 13, 2010

By the time Edmond, Brindom and Manachan reach the execution platform, Blackjack and Trinia have climbed to the top of the wall. Cheers go up from the crowd (as well as a few jeers), turning to gasps of dismay as the pair is apparently hemmed in by four guards, two on either side, who approach on the battlement rampart with spears held out.

Blackjack raises his rapier up in a salute, at the same time makes a gesture with his left. There is a flash, a bang and a puff of dark smoke. The guards recoil, and when the smoke clears, Blackjack and Trinia are gone from the castle wall.

[sblock=Ambrus]
As Dj'hân and Majenko fly in, they are at a different angle from everyone else. They see that Blackjack throws down a flash capsule and jumps off the castle wall, grabbing Trinia with him and swigging from a small phial as he does so. You pretty much end up above their last position.
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[sblock=ooc]
Attached is a schematic of the castle. The execution is (was) taking place in a courtyard within the castle's outer walls, marked with a red X on the map. So, Blackjack and Trinia have climbed onto the outer walls of the castle, on the other side of which is a long drop down the castle walls and the mound known as the Grand Mastaba up which Castle Korvosa sits, into the heart of the city.
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HolyMan · Apr 13, 2010

[sblock=Nice castle] yes nice but I am totally turned around. Why were they climbing the walls? The "X" looks to be lvl with the top of the hill. [/sblock]

[sblock=Stats]
HP: 48/48
AC: 20 T:13 FF:17
Init: +3
Speed: 20'
Fort: +5
Ref: +4
Will: +6

Spells:
O- stabilize, guidance, resistance, virtue
1- deathwatch, sanctuary, shield of faith, cure light (1d8+4) - bless
2- gentle repose, spiritual weapon, cure mod. (2d8+4) - shield other

Abilities:
Channel Energy (2d6) - 5/5
Calming Touch - 6/6
Touch of Good - 6/6

Items:
potions of clw (1d8+1) 2/2
scrolls of cmw (2d8+3) 2/2[/sblock][/QUOTE]

Ambrus · Apr 13, 2010

Skirting the outside edge of the curtain wall crenelations, discreetly out of sight of the guardsmen and the crowd in the courtyard, Dj'hân and Majenko are momentarily startled by the sound of Blackjack's flash pellet. Dj'hân pauses in mid air to get his bearings and his pseudodragon companion beats the air furiously in surprise as thick smoke begins to curl over the top of the wall. When the giant-sized fugitives suddenly leap out of the smoke into their midsts it's all the tiny pair can do to avoid an aerial collision. Twisting aside, the pseudodragon hisses briefly in protest while the urchin suppresses a giggle of delight.

Once they've regained their wits the tiny pair quickly follow suit and dive down in pursuit. Wishing to remain out of sight and away from the larger fugitives until further away from the guardsmen above, the two arc behind the nearest of the mammoth buttresses supporting the castle. Diving in tight spirals, Majenko and Dj'hân stealthily parallel the route of the falling fugitives. On one occasion when he catches sight of the nearby Blackjack, the tiny dragon offers the man a reassuring thought: Nice escape. We'll meet you at the bottom. For his part, Dj'hân whispers excitedly at Majenko: "That was amazing!"

[sblock=Dr Simon]OOC: I'm going go out on a limb and say that the two fugitives are probably going to either feather fall or fly safely to the ground far below rather than simply die. I'm not sure how long it'll take them to reach the ground, but I believe both Dj'hân and Majenko can easily keep up with them by either spiralling down or taking zig-zagging run actions downwards to keep up. Ideally the pair of them could discreetly parallel the fugitives while remaining out of sight of the guardsmen above by spiralling down between two neighbouring giant buttresses running parallel to the one between which Blackjack and the girl are falling. Once at the bottom it'll be a relatively easy for Majenko and Dj'hân to swoop over to the fugitives. That's my plan at least and what I've tried to describe.[/sblock]

Dr Simon · Apr 13, 2010

[sblock=OOC]
Ambrus: Well assumed, yes, they seem to be drifting gently down to the ground.

HM: The courtyard is lower on the other side of that wall below the red X (with the huge bastions), so the two have had to climb to get up and out of the courtyard.

It's not a very high wall as castles go, about 10 ft., partly because it doesn't need to be due to being on top of the Great Mastaba, but also because Castle Korvosa in its current incarnation is more of a showy castle-style residence (in the fashion of Glamis or Neuschwanstein) than a proper defensible fortress (like Harlech or Krak des Chevaliers).
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Valthosian · Apr 14, 2010

This is madness. Thorson mutters quietly to his companions as he works his way out of the crowd, a cowled cloak obscuring him as much as possible from being identified by the guards, but he follows Edmond, Manachan, and Brindom as closely as he can.

Dr Simon · Apr 14, 2010

Blackjack and Trinia land gently at the bottom of the castle mound, Dj'hân and Majenko drop down nearby.

"You sent me the warning, thank you." says Blackjack to Majenko. "You have truly earned your position on Korvosa's coat of arms." Trinia gives a start as she sees the two small creatures.

"Hey, it's you!" she cries. "You were working with Vencarlo!"

"Ah," says Blackjack, "Then I know you can be trusted. Gentlemen, we haven't much time." He glances up at the battlements where even now the tiny figures of the guards are looking down. "I must get this young lady to one of my hideouts. I could use your help, if you could keep watch from above and warn me if you see any guards?"

Meanwhile, up in the castle courtyard there is little that Dj'hân's largeer companions can do - Blackjack and Trinia have gone, as far as they know. The Queen has retreated inside. The crowd is restless and jostling, some pushing to the stairs that lead down from the castle, but for the moment they are peaceful, if belligerent.

Ambrus · Apr 14, 2010

Dr Simon said:
"You sent me the warning, thank you." says Blackjack to Majenko. "You have truly earned your position on Korvosa's coat of arms."

Majenko responds to the praise by sitting back on his haunches and curling his long sinuous body into a regal pose; one more appropriate for a wyrm many hundreds of times his size. The tiny dragon then merely nods in acknowledgement. Standing next to the proud reptile, Dj'hân can't help but roll his eyes comically at his friend's antics.

Dr Simon said:
"Hey, it's you!" she cries. "You were working with Vencarlo!"

Hearing her state the obvious, the urchin once more wonders if the silly girl's is in fact a halfwit. Shrugging the thought away, Dj'hân offers her Vencario's own signature jaunty smile and sweeping bow in answer. "We still are!" The child then claps both hands over his mouth and laughs at his own performance.

Dr Simon said:
"I must get this young lady to one of my hideouts. I could use your help, if you could keep watch from above and warn me if you see any guards?"

The guttersnipe beams at the outlaw. "Oh sure. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. But we'll do you one better!" Taking his liripoop off his disheveled head, Dj'hân rises up on a gust of wind and, in one smooth motion, pulls the stocking cap quickly down overtop of the girl. Drawing the cap down the length of her body, the urchin finally scoops her feet up into its interior. Rising up to the height of Blackjack's chest Dj'hân flips the cap over and holds its brim wide so that the man can see the girl inside. "Now you just have to worry about your own getaway. We'll help you with that too." To Trinia he says: "Make yourself at home. There are some cookies in there if you're hungry."
[sblock=OOC]Since doubling the interior space of his liripoop Dj'han's got about 110 lbs. of carrying capacity available at the moment. Since Trinia appears to be a mere waif of a teenage girl and isn't likely wearing much beyond a tunic and pants for her execution, I figure that it's safe to assume that she can easily fit inside. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Dj'hân and Majenko will do as before; skimming stealthily through the Shingles while watching out for guard patrols below and offering Blackjack directions so as to circumvent them all the way back to safety.[/sblock]