GM1: Bizarre Bazaar

[covaithe]

As Tank carries the halfling around on his shoulder while shopping, he gets some very strange looks. Perhaps word has spread of the results of the attack the previous night, since no one works up the courage to question him on why he is carrying an unconscious halfling.

While Tank is talking to the bowyer, the halfling wakes up, and begins screaming for help. "Help! Help! Murder! Kidnapping! Whatever he said, it's all lies! Help!"

The bowyer looks embarrassed, but makes no move to help. "Well, you keep thinking about that bow, but take him out of my shop, would you?"

 

[Robichaud]

"Gotta agree with the idea of ditchin' the kid," says Jinx, straight-faced. "He's makin' a lot of noise, and while ah'm all for hard-taught lessons, I also need my beauty sleep."

 

[jaker2003]

Tank clamps his large hand over the halfling's mouth (and possibly nose, halfling faces are small) and carries him outside. Grapple halfling (1d20+7=18)

Tank adjusts his grip so the halfling can breathe and growls in his ear, "I'll let you go if you make a deal with me, thief. Proclaim before the whole tavern how foolish you were to try to rob armed men in the night. Promise the whole town on pain of death that you will never try to gain money dishonestly. Will you do this?"
Here Tank lets the halfling speak, but clamps back down if he begins to yell.
_____If the halfling refuses to cooperate, Tank will try to intimidate him. Intimidate halfling (1d20-1=2)
__________If that fails, Tank simply knocks him out (unarmed strike: +7 to attack, 1d3+6 nonlethal) and drops him headfirst in the first open barrel he comes across on his way out of town (regardless of its contents).
_____If the halfling agrees, Tank takes him to the tavern and stands him on a table, instructing him to make his proclimation. DECLARED ACTION: If Tank thinks the halfling is breaking the deal (lying, running away, etc . . . ), Tank will try to knock him out. This should be relatively easy, as Tank will keep both hands on the halfling's shoulders during his speech.

 

[covaithe]

"Yes, yes, I'll do it, just let go of me, you clumsy -- Ow!" The halfling struggles briefly in Tank's grasp, but cannot escape. He suffers himself to be carried into the tavern, where a shocked silence immediately descends. All eyes are on Tank as he stands the halfling up on the table and directs him to speak his piece.

"Uh, yes. I'm supposed to say... Help! He's beating me and forcing me to apologize and I didn't do anything and it hurts and THUMP" The last is the sound of Tank's fist colliding with the halfling's head, sending it back into unconsciousness.

There is a moment of silence during which no one moves, before someone in the back mutters, "'Bout time. Boy's had that comin' fer years." There are murmurs of agreement, and conversation breaks out on the subject of the unconscious halfling's flaws and the many elaborate warnings that the tavern patrons claim to have given him. No one seems to want to meet Tank's eye.

 

[jaker2003]

Tank will check the halfling's mouth for loose teeth (for a trophy). If he finds any, he pries them out and places them in a pouch or his pack.

After that, Tank strips the halfling down to his underwear and leaves the humiliated creature lying on the table. if there is a fire in the tavern hearth, Tank will throw the halfling's possessions in there; otherwise, Tank will carry them in hand. Anything of value will be pocketed. Clothes or other seemingly worthless items would be torn, broken, or soiled beyond use.

Tank will walk out of the tavern to rejoin his group (who have been patiently waiting for the willfull barbarian).

 

[covaithe]

Tank finds little of value on the unconscious halfling, but while looking through his mouth, he notices a silver tooth that is quite loose. Prying it out and looking at it, it looks like a normal silver false tooth, but has a tiny unfamiliar carved on the inside of the tooth.

Outside, the rest of the party waits, horses saddled and purchases stowed. "Shall we continue?" ask Phelan. "Wait... where is the dwarf?"

Looking around, all of you see that Thargon Kolex is not among you. After comparing notes, it comes out that none of you is confident of having seen him since the previous night, when he woke his watch replacement. No one in town admits to having seen him either, and some tense moments ensue before William's hand happens onto a folded piece of paper in his pocket. Taking it out, he reads the following note in thick, heavy letters:

"My friends, I am sorry to leave you like this, but I have received word of a most urgent and private affair that I must attend to. I hope that our paths will cross again, but I cannot continue with you at this time. May the Builder's hammer strengthen your arms.

Thargon Kolex"

[sblock=ooc]If it isn't obvious, this is me writing Thargon out of the adventure. IVV, if you see this and get the urge to come back, write to me and we'll work out something for Thargon to do.[/sblock]

 

[jaker2003]

Tank rushes back to purchase a sap, and then declares that he is ready to go.

Along the way, He'll ask everyone about the tooth.

 

[Robichaud]

Jinx is rattled. "Thargon takes off into the bloody night, and y'ask me about some tooth you pulled out'a that sap's mouth? Don't show'at to me, I don't want t'bloody see it." He makes a face. "Let's just go."
[sblock="OOC"]Excuse my slow posting rate, I no longer have reliable internet access. I'm trying to fix it, but it might take some time yet - up to a week or two. I'll try to keep up best I can, but if I end up slowing things down, please feel free to NPC Jinx.[/sblock]

 

[Kenku17]

William stuffs the letter in his pocket with a quick sigh. "Ok, lets get going." and pushes his horse on.

 

[covaithe]

ooc: Thanks for the warning, Robichaud

Tank is unable to find any more information about the strange rune on the halfling's silver tooth.

At last, you take to the road again. The weather is still fair and slightly cold, with thin wisps of cloud rolling steadily southward from the gray peaks of the Stonespikes. Four more days pass, and the road winds through foothills of increasing steepness. The mountains loom almost overhead, it seems. Eventually, you come to the turning in the road that is marked on the map; in this, at least, the map seems to be accurate.

The road, little more than a pair of wagon ruts that are slightly less likely to be at a steep angle to each other than the surrounding hillsides, winds drunkenly through the hills, which are now precipitously steep and covered in large, angular boulders like warts on a sleeping giant.

Near sunset, with the hills casting deep shadows across most of the road, you round yet another hairpin turn and discover that the road plunges directly into a yawning opening in the hillside -- or it would, if the hillside had not collapsed into piles of boulders and rubble, completely sealing the entrance. The boulders look fresh and unweathered, a marked contrast to the many, many examples of weathered boulders around, and the twisted wreckage of a large tree half buried beneath the rubble still has green leaves on it.

Suddenly Phelan points to a boulder at the top of the collapsed hillside. "Look out!" he yells.

His shout stops the party in their tracks, and so a heavy black arrow skewers the ground a foot in front of Tankard, rather than impaling his leg. Following the flight of the arrow, and Phelan's frantically pointing finger, you see a slim figure already nocking another arrow to a longbow, some 90 feet away at the top of the hill. A trio of skeletal dogs rise from their crouch and come racing down the hill, eerily silent, though their bony jaws gape wide.

While the rest of you scrabble for weapons, Phelan quickly chants a prayer of blessing.

Round 1

William is first to react...

Initiative
William 12/12 <=== You're up
Bowman undamaged
Skeletal Dog 1 undamaged
Skeletal Dog 2 undamaged
Skeletal Dog 3 undamaged
Octavio 18/18
Phelan undamaged
Jinx 6/6
Tank 13/13

All allies affected by bless, 10 rounds remaining

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