Paridon: The Dark Metropolis (Ravenloft)

[industrygothica]

Darian turns to the masked gnome in his grasp. "Stay here, or I will find you." He then lets him go and runs to help his companions.

[sblock=ooc]I'm not sure of everyone's position, but if Darian can get close enough, he'll do whatever he can.[/sblock]

 

[Rhun]

Torhan waits until Alek disappears from sight. Then turning to Sasha, he speaks. "Come. We must find out what is going on." Grabbing the small woman's hand, Torhan pulls her along in the direction from which the sound is coming.

 

[jkason]

Ru Brike, barbaric human monk

Yet the carriage sits empty. Surprised, Ru looks up in time to watch the hunched bird-man, bloody scalpel still in hand, run on tiptoe around a corner into an alley.

"This day just keeps getting better," Ru grumbles sarcastically. Hoping he hasn't conveniently crashed the carriage near a readied ambush, Ru decides to press what advantage he has while he still has it. Leaping from the carriage, he bolts after the bird mask, drawing his kama as he rounds the corner

[sblock=OOC]Hooray for criticals!

+17 Jump, +7 Tumble, 50' base move (run of 200'). Spot / Listen of +7 looking for that ambush. [/sblock]

 

[InVinoVeritas]

Torhan and Ru

Torhan and Sasha, both masked, hand in hand, run toward the sound of the crash. The slender walkway leads back out onto the Queen's Way, where two horses stand sheepishly, tethered to an overturned black cart. A trail of blood leads away from the cart, leading toward an alleyway. At the mouth of the alley, the source of the blood is clear--Ru, kama in one hand, his throat in his other, acts to stem the red stream trailing down his arm onto the avenue.

At the end of the alley, Ru sees his quarry. The hunchbacked bird-man works feverishly to lift a drain grate, making exaggerated yet silent movements to protect his badly bruised midsection.

The sewers are a bad place. There are rumors of all manner of creatures and demons that roam in its depths. The city claims that they have been clear for years, and the unlucky who become its workers have not died at the rates described in the past, but everyone knows to avoid the sewers. The masked man must be desperate indeed.

 

[InVinoVeritas]

Fr. Berman, Darian, and Hieran

As Darian runs ahead, Hieran steps up to place a hand on Templeton's shoulder. "I would do as he says," Hieran counsels. The jester obediently stays put.

Darian approaches quickly, wondering what the best thing he could do would be. He sees the long, unwieldly bill of the madman, and realizes, whip in hand, that this will be easy to remove.

Fr. Berman stares coldly and confidently at the madman. The policeman wields the power of law, the voice of the city, and the fiery steel of technology against this... person, this... less of a man. This animal-thing. No, there is no way that he is in the wrong.

Darian lashes out with his whip to wrest the mask off the madman at the same time that Fr. Berman aims, and fires.

Fr. Berman opens a deep wound to the chest, no doubt one worthy of a kill. Darian wraps the end around the beak and pulls--and with a sickening, wet crack, the madman's neck is broken by the high torque and sudden chest wound. The mask does not come off.

The priest, watching this surprise occur in front of him, realizes why... underneath the beak, about where the madman's mouth should be, is a keyhole.

 

[Rhun]

"Wait here," says Torhan to Sasha. "I must help my companion." The paladin moves to Ru's side, and seeing the extent of his injuries, lays his hands upon the injured lawman. Torhan channels his divine power into Ru, doing what he can to close the dreadful wound.


Lay on Hands to heal Ru 10 points, leaving Torhan with 2 points left for the day

 

[jkason]

Ru Brike, barbaric human monk

At the end of the alley, Ru sees his quarry. The hunchbacked bird-man works feverishly to lift a drain grate, making exaggerated yet silent movements to protect his badly bruised midsection.

The sewers are a bad place. There are rumors of all manner of creatures and demons that roam in its depths. The city claims that they have been clear for years, and the unlucky who become its workers have not died at the rates described in the past, but everyone knows to avoid the sewers. The masked man must be desperate indeed.

"Stand down or I'll put you down!" Ru growls as he closes on the bird-man. If his warning isn't heeded with surrender, Ru lashes out with a foot, looking to at least manage a prisoner out of this (literal) carriage-wreck of an encounter.

[sblock=OOC]Intimidate +4.

Birdy is still Ru's Dodge opponent, so AC 17 vs. his attacks.

If the bird-man doesn't stand down, unarmed attack (choosing to deal nonlethal damage): Attack +6, (nonlethal) damage 1d6+3.

Not sure if the lay on hands healing happens before or after Ru's actions, so I'll save the response to that for next post. [/sblock]

 

[kinem]

Father Berman looks down at the birdman, then up at Darian.

"Well met!" he says. "Let's check on Ru and his carriage. This suspect isn't going anywhere."

If there's no objection he will head the way the carriage went.

 

[InVinoVeritas]

Fr. Berman and Darian

Hieran calls out, "Go ahead and check on the others. I'll get some enforcers to help tidy up this mess and meet you back at the headquarters."

Darian and Fr. Berman head on, past a line of gawking masked gnomes, to follow the carriage.

Ru and Torhan

In response to Torhan, Sasha responds, "Yes, my love--Officer! Yes, Officer." She leans against the wall by the carriage, holding herself.

Torhan lays a hand on Ru just as he issues his challenge. It hurts terribly to speak, what with the sliced throat, but he croaks it out, if poorly. Thankfully, as Ru runs for the bird-man, the major pain and bleeding stop, just in time to free both hands to wrench the madman's arm behind him. He crumples in Ru's grip.

As Ru drags the madman out of the alley, Torhan notes Fr. Berman and Darian approaching.

 

[Rhun]

Torhan waves at Father Berman and Darian, and then turns to help Ru with the madman.