Dr. Si's Curse of the Crimson Throne - Beta Group

Thorson beckons Dj'hân over and whispers to him,

There's a old looking child sized thing in the middle of the kids down there, go warn Edmond. I'll attack from here when he's ready.

Dj'hân nods up at Thorson and quickly scurries off on his mission. Padding lightly around the corner, through the gore filled room and along the short corridor, the tiny guttersnipe stops at the door and reaches over to tug silently on Edmond's pant leg. Attempting to remain out of Kesler's sight, the young urchin motions for Edmond to draw down closer before he whispers a brief message into the man's ear. "Mr Giant is over by the door on the other side of that big vat down there. There are a bunch of kids under the walkway but one of them looks like a small grownup. Mr Giant says he'll attack him from over there when you're ready."

OOC: Dj'hân waits a few moments to listen to Edmond's response and to answer questions before he scurries back over to Thorson's side.

In preparation, Thorson eases one of his throwing axes out of its sheath and waits for Edmond's reaction.

Attack!

Go, tell him to attack immediately after I jump down.

Edmond concentrates, casts True Strike and jumps off the walkway turning in the air.

[sblock=Directions]
OOC: please roll for me, I'm baby sitting so not much time...full defensive, attacking as soon as opportunity arises. Color spray as an option, also touch of fatigue. If you don't hear from me on monday, NPC EDmond as needed to continue action. I'll back as soon as I'm able

OOC2: if Dj'ahn needs more time to reach Thorson, Edmond casts Ghost sound first and then true strike so we can time the attack exactly. Ghost sound will produce wild growling as that of large feral dog. That should be enough to scare real kids and capture attention of not-so-reals in that critical momrent edmodn jumps down...
[/sblock]

At the sound of Edmond's commencement of attack, Thorson pushes the door open and leaps down with his throwing axe at hand, and his greataxe ready to draw, racing for the strange, old looking thing he howls again.

[sblock=ooc]Thorson has acrobatics! That said, he's going to move however he has to to safely avoid the vat below before jumping.[/sblock]

Lynn noted the child's odd tapping. It was obvious something was keeping them from coming up, but she didn't know what to do. If they rushed down the stairs, it was likely they would only be endangering the youths. She spoke to the child again, though her words were more directed toward whoever else might be listening.

You can go if you want. Like I said before we don't have a problem with anyone but Lamm, as long as they are willing to step aside and lay down their arms. Might even pay for information if it is good enough.

Lynn glanced nervously at Edmond next to her, as he obviously began casting, the situation was coming to a breaking point one way or the other soon enough.

[sblock=ooc]This is an attempt to get who/whatever is down there to lower their guard perhaps. I don't know if bluff would apply, but she does very much have a problem with anyone holding kids hostage. Bluff +13

If Edmond jumps down, she'll run around the catwalk to go down the stairs. [/sblock]

Edmond and Thorson leap down to the lower floor, giving Kester and his friends a start. Lynn races along the catwalk.

As soon as the two warriors land, the "old-faced child" pushes his way through the rest of the children. He is a gnome. His left hand is firmly clamped around the chubby upper arm of a small girl (the grime on her face streaked by tears and snot). His right hand holds a kukri, which he has poised above the wrist of the girl.

"Now now gents," he says in a rasping voice. "You heard the lady, she said we could go free. Edmond, you wouldn't want to hurt your old pal Hookshanks would you? You wouldn't make me hurt this dear little creature, would you?"

[SBLOCK=Edmond and Dj'hân]
This is Hookshanks, the last of Lamm's three adult helpers. He's a little sadist and you know he's quite capable of chopping the girl's hand off.
[/SBLOCK]

You'll unhand her unharmed and walk away from this if you don't want to be slowly dismembered and fed piece by piece to the dogs while you still draw breath, Thorson growls.

[sblock=ooc]Using intimidate[/sblock]

Dj'hân arrives back into the upper vat room just in time to see his half-orc companion heft his axe and charge down the stairs, presumably to challenge the old short man he'd seen. Peeking around the doorjamb the urchin sees that Edmond has likewise hopped menacingly down to the lower floor while Lynn is running along the upper landing. The guttersnipe then spies the familiar form of a wizened old gnome emerging from the crowd of urchins with a young human girl held hostage.

Licking his lips and hopping from leg to leg anxiously, the young halfling is momentarily uncertain of what to do in light of the tense standoff. Turning, Dj'hân heads back the way he's come, through the gore-filled room and short corridor to hide behind the doorjamb of the lower room's other open doorway. Peeking cautiously into the room once more the urchin watches the scene, waiting for a notion of what he might do to come to mind.

Racing around the catwalk and down, Lynn came to a skidding halt at the base of the rickety stairs. Her blood ran cold when she saw the little girl the gnome threatened with the cruel curve of steel.

She beckoned, pointing to the crates stacked to her right.

Children, come over here out of the way.

She looked the gnome directly in the eye, the calm of her face directly at odds with the disgust, anger, and fear it masked.

There is no reason for this. Let the child go now and you can leave free and clear. The alternative benefits no one.

[sblock=ooc]How many children are there?[/sblock]