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Message: <blockquote data-quote="haiiro" data-source="post: 1736460" data-attributes="member: 1891">SurprisesThree Follies and the last three Wheels were now arrayed against two giants -- one right in front of them, the other ten paces off by the shore. Cupric moved his ghost sound to the listing ship, and the unharmed giant spun about and began clambering aboard, following the low whistle. What happened next took the Follies completely by surprise.Appearing to have come to some sort of decision, the leader of the Wheels narrowed his eyes and stabbed Talishmere through a gap in his armor.One of the half-orc Wheels swung at Cupric, who avoided the blow while casting another hideous laughter on the guard-killing giant -- this time meeting with success. As Tal drew back, startled, a third guard darted around behind him and slippd his blade between Tal's ribs. Almost simultaneously, De'lea cried out, "We're on your side!" and Cupric shouted, "Stop attacking my friends! We're trying to help you!"As this was going on, the Pikemen began pouring out of the alley just North of the melee.As they emerged, the lured giant stomped aboard the ship -- which promptly capsized from his weight. He fell to the deck, causing it to list even more, and became caught up in the rigging. As the ship heeled over completely, its slick, barnacled underbelly glistening in the sunlight, the giant slipped off the deck and slid into the Arkhen with barely a splash. Without further ado, he began noisily drowning.As De'lea shouted once more for the Wheels to stop attacking them, the final laughing giant was taken down by water blasts from Jaehn (lurking in the Copper Cup) and magical needles from Tuggle (still hidden in the storehouse).Clutching his face where Tuggle's final missiles struck, the giant sank to his knees and began to topple -- and at the same time, one of the Wheels took another stab at Tal, catching him in the throat. Blood welling out over his armor, Tal crumpled to the ground.At this, De'lea stopped trying dissuade the Wheels and began wading into them -- and in the same instant, the melee was joined by several of Baric's Pikemen.Staying well back, the Pikemen jabbed at the Wheels with their long spears as De'lea chopped at them with her sword. Cupric took this opportunity to crouch and force a flask of healing elixir down Tal's throat. When they both rose to rejoin the battle around them, they were thoroughly surprised when a few more Pikemen arrived -- and begin thrusting their pikes at them.While things began to get really confusing in front of the Copper Cup, Vicktor was crouched behind a stack of masts further up the docks. All of a sudden, he heard the shrill whistle again and was able to pinpoint its source: on a small barge moored about ten feet offshore, lurking under a canopy that covered the aft portion of the boat, was a shadowed figure holding a large brass whistle.In a heartbeat, Vicktor was up and running across the cobbles. By the time he reached the edge of the dock, his run had become a full-out charge, and he leaped out over the water and into the barge -- where he tackled the whistler.As Vicktor's ropy arms closed around him like an iron vise, the whistler's hands wound up crushed against his chest and he uttered a short girlish scream -- which was cut off abruptly as Vicktor increased the pressure, and said, "Well, he can't whistle anymore!"The barge continued to sway as Vicktor grappled the figure -- clearly an orc of some sort -- and refused to let him draw breath. As the orc tried to speak, Vicktor whispered to it, "Sleep...sleep..." and its eyes began to close as it succumbed to the crushing strength of the Beast of Saerloon.Once he was certain the orc was out cold, Vicktor examined him a bit more closely. He was dressed in drab greys and browns, and his only possession of note appeared to be his whistle. Pocketing this, Vicktor hauled the small barge in to shore and hoisted himself back up onto the docks. Still able to hear some of the noise from the ongoing battle, he headed back towards the Cup at a brisk pace.</blockquote>

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