Malvoisin's Savage Tide, Act 1 - There Is No Honor

[Malvoisin]

With the matter settled, Anar grabs ahold of the rope and gives it a tug. Finding it firmly attached to the wall, the rogue lowers himself into the shaft. He safely makes the climb down to the bottom of the shaft, thirty feet below. Landing safely on his feet, he calls up to Col, who tosses down his spear. In the light emanating from the spear's tip, Anar finds himself in an empty ten-foot-square room; the entrance shaft leads up through the ceiling in the northeast corner. A brick-lined tunnel with a curved roof leads to the west.

With no sign of a threat, Anar sounds the all clear, and minutes later, Keoni, Kalen, Col, Bael, and Chongo have all made the climb down and join Anar in the small room.

The party has begun to get its bearings, and consider the exploration of the smuggler's tunnels, when suddenly a THUMP sounds behind them. Turning, the group sees the body of Shefton at the base of the entrance shaft, his shirt bloody from where he has been stabbed in the back. Even worse, his neck seems to be twisted horribly from the fall...it's clear that he is dead. Seconds later, the upper end of the rope trails down, cut from its anchoring position above.

"Well, so I finally get to meet the gutter trash my pathetic sister has hired to find me!" The brash baritone that drifts down from the top of the shaft can only be that of Vanthus Vanderboren. "I wonder which of you has taken to bed with her, to curry her favor so. Probably the black savage...Lavinia's tastes always did run a bit to the exotic, ha ha!"

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[hafrogman]

Keoni clenches his spear tightly in his hands as the thump echoes in the small chamber. He whirls around, catching sight of the fallen body, and his eyes trail upwards just in time to watch the rope on it's journey down. As the voice of their quarry echoes out from above, exactly where one would have to be in order to conceal a trap door, he can't help but look around at his companions as his warnings come to pass.

Not offering the dignity of a response to Vanthus's mockery, he gathers up his equipment and looks towards the only other exit from the room. Shefton was obviously not the brightest in the world, but he may still have been right regarding the possibility of other exits. If they could make their way out quickly enough, they might be able to catch the trail again, before Vanthus gets even further ahead.

 

[Rhun]

Anar looks up the shaft at Vanthus, and shakes his head disapprovingly at the man. "So this is what you've becomethen? A cold-blooded killer? You'd think a man of such prestigious lineage as your own would find a more...civilized way to face his problems."

 

[GwydapLlew]

Chongo doesn't pause once the body hits the floor. He immediately starts to climb as the others speak, attempting to get to the top before Vanthus can rain death upon them.

 

[stonegod]

Seeing all the rukus break out, and Keoni try to make a run for it, the old man put his hands on the young man shoulders. "You be need'n light, and it may be dangerous. Remember, that bug on the ship would'a killed us all if we separated."

Looking up the shaft, the old man peers at their quarry as Chongo tries to climb the bare rock. Time for a distraction. Yelling up to Vanthus, the old man chimes in, "Told Shefton that this would end badly. As fer you, Vanderboen, I would'na get to cocky yet. We just be the front party---'ave you fergotten 'bout the Ravens? They got quite a nasty surprise fer ya if we not be w' ya, that be right Anar?"

 

[Legildur]

Bael groans as he realises what is happening. He hopes the Chongo can affect his climb, but privately he gives him little hope. "And there goes our boat," he mutters to no one in particular.

 

[Rhun]

Anar nods and goes along with Col's bluff. "True enough, Col. The Ravens will not be dealing gently with him, that much is certain."

 

[Malvoisin]

Keoni makes a start to head down the corridor, but Col's cautionary words overcome his impulsiveness. Realizing the folly of running off into the unknown dark tunnels, he pulls up.

Anar looks up the shaft at Vanthus, and shakes his head disapprovingly at the man. "So this is what you've becomethen? A cold-blooded killer? You'd think a man of such prestigious lineage as your own would find a more...civilized way to face his problems."

"I need no sermonizing from the likes of you, guttersnipe! Shefton was a tool whose usefulness had come to an end. Nothing more."

Looking up the shaft, the old man peers at their quarry as Chongo tries to climb the bare rock. Time for a distraction. Yelling up to Vanthus, the old man chimes in, "Told Shefton that this would end badly. As fer you, Vanderboen, I would'na get to cocky yet. We just be the front party---'ave you fergotten 'bout the Ravens? They got quite a nasty surprise fer ya if we not be w' ya, that be right Anar?"

"Do you think me a fool? I know that the Jade Ravens are in Cauldron, else they'd likely join your fate. Don't insult me with your pitiful effort at trickery. You have been outmatched by your betters."

(Chongo Climb Check)
Chongo launches himself at the wall, and attempts to scale the shaft, but he finds the walls slippery with little to hold on to. His progress is determined but slow. Seeing the Olman ascending, Vanthus fires off a final comment. "Well, I seem to have struck a nerve, savage. I'll be leaving you all now to die. Oh, and do say hello to Penkus for me if you see him. Ha ha ha!" The sound of Vanthus' mocking laughter is cut off as the trap door is slammed shut above, leaving Chongo clinging about 10 feet off the ground, and the others looking on. Moments later, a scraping sound from above brings the realization that someone has dragged something large and heavy on top of the trap door. The party is left to look at one another in the glow of Col's speartip, and figure out what to do next.

 

[Rhun]

"Well, that didn't go quite as well as it could have," says Anar, a slight smile on his face. Drawing his blade, he continues. "I suppose we ought to at least have a look around."

 

[stonegod]

Col looks down at Shefton, shrugs, and begins going through the dead man's pockets. "Maybe he 'ad'nt spent all our money yet. Dead men donna need it." Straightening when finished, he looks around grimly, thinking hard about any scrape of a note he might have heard about a set of caves under Parrot Island.

OOC: Knowledge check.