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<blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 2211994" data-attributes="member: 1210"><p><strong>Setting the Town On Fire</strong></p><p></p><p>Our heroes retreat to the sewers and escape their pursuers. They are worried sick about Naomi and Brickneck- they don’t even know if their friends are still alive! Quickly, they make their way to another sewer grate and escape from the town. By now the sun is touching the horizon, about to start submerging into the sea. Our heroes are wounded and shaken. They wash the sewage off themselves in the sea and then make an exhausted camp for the night. </p><p></p><p><em>What are we going to do about Naomi and Brickneck?</em></p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p><em><strong>9/4/369 O.L.G., 7:30 a.m., just outside of Sritivara</strong></em></p><p></p><p>Our heroes hurriedly debate their best course of action. They need some kind of distraction to draw the majority of the troops when they attempt a rescue of their friends. The pikemen they briefly held captive had informed the party that their friends were being held at mayor’s mansion at the center of town. Jawbreaker, looking across the water towards Sritivara, can see both Zacradosian warships moored in the harbor. They are swarming with men. “Maybe we can set docks on fire,” suggests Jawbreaker. “Then men stay on ships.”</p><p></p><p>“It might also draw the other soldiers to help fight it,” muses Federico.</p><p></p><p>The party mulls this over, and it seems as good a plan as any. Soon Jawbreaker is quietly swimming through the waters of the harbor, trying to stay unseen, only his nose and the top of his head poking out of the water. He stealthily reaches the docks and pulls himself swiftly up to the top, still unnoticed. </p><p></p><p>He has already chosen his target, and quickly drops a flask of alchemist’s fire on the dock. Then he enters a rage, and suddenly he morphs and changes into a bear!</p><p></p><p>Now he is noticed. Sailors shout in consternation. Smoke is rising from the small fire. With a mighty bat of his paw, Jawbreaker the bear smashes a large barrel of hot tar into pieces, spreading the tar all over the dock and the flames. It is already hot enough to sear the wood of the dock, and spread out relatively thinly as it is by the force of Jawbreaker’s blow, it begins to catch more of the dock on fire. </p><p></p><p>Shouts of “A bear, a bear!” are ringing through the air, and someone throws a rock at him; but the bear-halfling leaps back into the water and begins swimming away with powerful strokes. He will rendezvous with the rest of the halflings later; he has done his part for now.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile the others attempt to spread a little panic by shouting from the shadows. There is nothing worse, in a town such as Sritivara, than a fire that spreads to be out of control. Soon sailors and soldiers are swarming to try to stop the fire. The two warships are pulling away from the flames, but one of them is on fire. It seems that Jawbreaker’s distraction is phenomenally successful. </p><p></p><p>Moving through the streets quickly while the fire has everyone distracted, our heroes pass through the town square on their way to the mayor’s mansion. A gallows is set up there. Our heroes hurry.</p><p></p><p>The mansion is full of soldiers. There are definitely too many for a direct frontal assault to work. “We’ll have to try to rescue them en route to being executed,” Sandy says. “Let’s hunker down and watch.”</p><p></p><p>Nothing really changes except for the growing volume of smoke.</p><p></p><p>“I hope Jawbreaker’s okay,” murmurs Federico.</p><p></p><p>“I hope Naomi and Brickneck are okay,” replies Beau.</p><p></p><p>They aren’t.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p><strong><em>1 p.m., the mayor’s mansion, Sritivara</em></strong> </p><p></p><p>The torture of Brickneck Hot-Metal begins.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p><em><strong>3 p.m., outside the mansion</strong></em></p><p></p><p>There is still a considerable amount of smoke pouring from the docks area, which leaves Ezeekiel very concerned. But the party is on a rescue mission, and will not be distracted.</p><p></p><p>Finally a wagon rolls out of the mansion’s grounds, accompanied by a formation of guards wielding pikes and spears. As it nears the square, well out of sight and hearing of the mansion, Ezeekiel <em>detects evil</em> on the wagon and finds several evil forms within it. </p><p></p><p>“For H.A.M.!” he cries. “For Dogtooth!” </p><p></p><p>“Well, I guss we’re attacking then,” comments Beau, and he casts a <em>mirror image</em>. </p><p></p><p>Within the wagon, Naomi is bound and hooded. But she hears Ezeekiel’s battle cry and recognizes the best opportunity she is likely to get. “For H.A.M.!” she shouts, tapping her <em>tattoo of energy retort,</em> and then she unleashes a blind <em>swarm of crystals</em> in the direction of one of the voices of the guards with her that she has been hearing for the last ten minutes since boarding the wagon. There’s a familiar tinkling sound as jagged shards of psionic crystal tear through the wagon and one of the guards, and a satisfying scream.</p><p></p><p>Then Naomi gulps as cold steel slides into her side. She jerks and spasms, groaning with pain, but her <em>energy retort</em> blasts out and destroys her attacker in a blast of electricity. But the other guards inside the wagon are also eager to run her through.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, outside, there are two essential groups of adversaries that our heroes find themselves confronting. First, a large formation of over a score pikemen and spearment attacks the halflings in melee. Second, atop the wagon and immediately around it are a half-dozen archers who pelt our heroes with missiles. </p><p></p><p>And then Ricklin the blackguard steps out of the wagon’s covered interior. “Kill that bitch and be done with it!” he snaps at the back of the wagon, where the guards are struggling with Naomi. Then he strides forward purposefully, pulling forth a baleful obsidian greatsword. He moves up to Ezeekiel, who is already pressed by the pike onslaught, and with a single mighty blow he breaks Zeke’s arm! The freedom fighter cries out in pain.</p><p></p><p>“Hello, paladin,” gloats Ricklin.</p><p></p><p>Freeze frame for a moment. Picture Ricklin: a brown-haired human of moderate height and weight, garbed in fancy full plate armor, with his black obsidian sword clutched in his gauntleted fists. The blade is hateful to look upon, seeming to radiate malice from its edge and tip. Ricklin wears a black amulet. His armor is emblazoned with elemental symbology. </p><p></p><p>Then we’re back in motion as Ricklin turns and hacks at Federico’s dog, nearly striking him down in a single blow! </p><p></p><p>Federico, meanwhile, <em>suggests</em> to one of the guards that he bring the prisoner out, and the guard turns and begins clambering into the wagon. Then the kobold turns the attention of his crossbow on the blackguard, who just laughs when the bolts hit him for a meager amount of damage. </p><p></p><p>Hortense, meanwhile, has healed Zeke’s arm, and the freedom fighter has turned back against the pikement. He stands fast, stepping in and hacking left and right with his Bleak-slaying axe. He glares at Ricklin, but too many of the pikemen are tying him down for him to return to the blackguard just yet.</p><p></p><p>The pike and spear formation is an effective one, but our heroes vastly outclass the soldiers they are facing, with the exception of the blackguard himself. At this point, however, the guard that Federico influenced with his magic emerges from the wagon with the ugly, portly Naomi in tow. </p><p></p><p>“What are you doing, you fool?” Enraged, Ricklin strikes the guard down, decapitating him with a single blow and then cleaving into Naomi as well. She grunts, stunned, and blood gushes. </p><p></p><p>Appalled, Federico shoots Ricklin again. Snarling, he turns to face the kobold, who quails, but Beau touches the blackguard with a <em>shocking grasp</em> that finishes him off! With a cry, Rickling the blackguard falls!</p><p></p><p>It’s just about mopping up after that, as the sky fills with smoke.</p><p></p><p><em><strong>Next Time:</strong></em> Sritivara’s on fire! There are still more soldiers! Who will end up running the town?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="the Jester, post: 2211994, member: 1210"] [b]Setting the Town On Fire[/b] Our heroes retreat to the sewers and escape their pursuers. They are worried sick about Naomi and Brickneck- they don’t even know if their friends are still alive! Quickly, they make their way to another sewer grate and escape from the town. By now the sun is touching the horizon, about to start submerging into the sea. Our heroes are wounded and shaken. They wash the sewage off themselves in the sea and then make an exhausted camp for the night. [i]What are we going to do about Naomi and Brickneck?[/i] *** [i][b]9/4/369 O.L.G., 7:30 a.m., just outside of Sritivara[/b][/i][b][/b] Our heroes hurriedly debate their best course of action. They need some kind of distraction to draw the majority of the troops when they attempt a rescue of their friends. The pikemen they briefly held captive had informed the party that their friends were being held at mayor’s mansion at the center of town. Jawbreaker, looking across the water towards Sritivara, can see both Zacradosian warships moored in the harbor. They are swarming with men. “Maybe we can set docks on fire,” suggests Jawbreaker. “Then men stay on ships.” “It might also draw the other soldiers to help fight it,” muses Federico. The party mulls this over, and it seems as good a plan as any. Soon Jawbreaker is quietly swimming through the waters of the harbor, trying to stay unseen, only his nose and the top of his head poking out of the water. He stealthily reaches the docks and pulls himself swiftly up to the top, still unnoticed. He has already chosen his target, and quickly drops a flask of alchemist’s fire on the dock. Then he enters a rage, and suddenly he morphs and changes into a bear! Now he is noticed. Sailors shout in consternation. Smoke is rising from the small fire. With a mighty bat of his paw, Jawbreaker the bear smashes a large barrel of hot tar into pieces, spreading the tar all over the dock and the flames. It is already hot enough to sear the wood of the dock, and spread out relatively thinly as it is by the force of Jawbreaker’s blow, it begins to catch more of the dock on fire. Shouts of “A bear, a bear!” are ringing through the air, and someone throws a rock at him; but the bear-halfling leaps back into the water and begins swimming away with powerful strokes. He will rendezvous with the rest of the halflings later; he has done his part for now. Meanwhile the others attempt to spread a little panic by shouting from the shadows. There is nothing worse, in a town such as Sritivara, than a fire that spreads to be out of control. Soon sailors and soldiers are swarming to try to stop the fire. The two warships are pulling away from the flames, but one of them is on fire. It seems that Jawbreaker’s distraction is phenomenally successful. Moving through the streets quickly while the fire has everyone distracted, our heroes pass through the town square on their way to the mayor’s mansion. A gallows is set up there. Our heroes hurry. The mansion is full of soldiers. There are definitely too many for a direct frontal assault to work. “We’ll have to try to rescue them en route to being executed,” Sandy says. “Let’s hunker down and watch.” Nothing really changes except for the growing volume of smoke. “I hope Jawbreaker’s okay,” murmurs Federico. “I hope Naomi and Brickneck are okay,” replies Beau. They aren’t. *** [b][i]1 p.m., the mayor’s mansion, Sritivara[/i][/b] The torture of Brickneck Hot-Metal begins. *** [i][b]3 p.m., outside the mansion[/b][/i][b][/b] There is still a considerable amount of smoke pouring from the docks area, which leaves Ezeekiel very concerned. But the party is on a rescue mission, and will not be distracted. Finally a wagon rolls out of the mansion’s grounds, accompanied by a formation of guards wielding pikes and spears. As it nears the square, well out of sight and hearing of the mansion, Ezeekiel [i]detects evil[/i] on the wagon and finds several evil forms within it. “For H.A.M.!” he cries. “For Dogtooth!” “Well, I guss we’re attacking then,” comments Beau, and he casts a [i]mirror image[/i]. Within the wagon, Naomi is bound and hooded. But she hears Ezeekiel’s battle cry and recognizes the best opportunity she is likely to get. “For H.A.M.!” she shouts, tapping her [i]tattoo of energy retort,[/i] and then she unleashes a blind [i]swarm of crystals[/i] in the direction of one of the voices of the guards with her that she has been hearing for the last ten minutes since boarding the wagon. There’s a familiar tinkling sound as jagged shards of psionic crystal tear through the wagon and one of the guards, and a satisfying scream. Then Naomi gulps as cold steel slides into her side. She jerks and spasms, groaning with pain, but her [i]energy retort[/i] blasts out and destroys her attacker in a blast of electricity. But the other guards inside the wagon are also eager to run her through. Meanwhile, outside, there are two essential groups of adversaries that our heroes find themselves confronting. First, a large formation of over a score pikemen and spearment attacks the halflings in melee. Second, atop the wagon and immediately around it are a half-dozen archers who pelt our heroes with missiles. And then Ricklin the blackguard steps out of the wagon’s covered interior. “Kill that bitch and be done with it!” he snaps at the back of the wagon, where the guards are struggling with Naomi. Then he strides forward purposefully, pulling forth a baleful obsidian greatsword. He moves up to Ezeekiel, who is already pressed by the pike onslaught, and with a single mighty blow he breaks Zeke’s arm! The freedom fighter cries out in pain. “Hello, paladin,” gloats Ricklin. Freeze frame for a moment. Picture Ricklin: a brown-haired human of moderate height and weight, garbed in fancy full plate armor, with his black obsidian sword clutched in his gauntleted fists. The blade is hateful to look upon, seeming to radiate malice from its edge and tip. Ricklin wears a black amulet. His armor is emblazoned with elemental symbology. Then we’re back in motion as Ricklin turns and hacks at Federico’s dog, nearly striking him down in a single blow! Federico, meanwhile, [i]suggests[/i] to one of the guards that he bring the prisoner out, and the guard turns and begins clambering into the wagon. Then the kobold turns the attention of his crossbow on the blackguard, who just laughs when the bolts hit him for a meager amount of damage. Hortense, meanwhile, has healed Zeke’s arm, and the freedom fighter has turned back against the pikement. He stands fast, stepping in and hacking left and right with his Bleak-slaying axe. He glares at Ricklin, but too many of the pikemen are tying him down for him to return to the blackguard just yet. The pike and spear formation is an effective one, but our heroes vastly outclass the soldiers they are facing, with the exception of the blackguard himself. At this point, however, the guard that Federico influenced with his magic emerges from the wagon with the ugly, portly Naomi in tow. “What are you doing, you fool?” Enraged, Ricklin strikes the guard down, decapitating him with a single blow and then cleaving into Naomi as well. She grunts, stunned, and blood gushes. Appalled, Federico shoots Ricklin again. Snarling, he turns to face the kobold, who quails, but Beau touches the blackguard with a [i]shocking grasp[/i] that finishes him off! With a cry, Rickling the blackguard falls! It’s just about mopping up after that, as the sky fills with smoke. [i][b]Next Time:[/b][/i][b][/b] Sritivara’s on fire! There are still more soldiers! Who will end up running the town? [/QUOTE]
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