CH. 12: Testing Grounds

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra looks around once again, then sighs. "Is there a private place in which we can talk?" she asks.

[spyguy1503]

Ne-Chanz charges in to attack the rat.

[TristenC]

Revolution? Grubnick asks with genuine interest. What kinds of things were promised? I was just planning on passing through before the invasion and the whole town locked down, but if things are looking up I might hang around...

[Haahque]

Haahqae does move as they prompted, after all his main goal was to speak with the commander. However he throws in a few more words to add to the baaz’s uncertainty.

“Okay if you say so. But don’t you find it a bit strange that an entire keep would be locked down for one small, weak, unarmed gnome who isn’t even in the keep?”

Of course, sometimes the Baaz’s unfathomable simplicity has caught Haahqae off guard with just how simple a concept they can’t comprehend is. Perhaps he should stop trying to make baaz think for themselves. Perhaps he would have a better time if he started hanging out with Kapaks, they seemed to at least have enough intelligence to understand simple things that weren’t related to hitting or stabbing.

[JadedDM]

Haahqae (Old Keep, Tower 1F)
Haahqae is escorted back into the keep, the place he just finished escaping from. They take him back to the tower, to the first floor and the office of the same commander who had accidentally let him inside in the first place. She is a Khurish woman wearing black armor and looking none too pleased. Haahqae is brought into her office by two guards who keep their speartips pointing at him. The others return to their posts.

"You found him?" the woman asks, getting to her feet. "Where?"

"Outside the front gate, Commander Mouna," replies one of the Baaz with a touch of puzzlement.

The commander seems as confused as him. "How is that possible? Gnome, you will tell me where you have been for the past six hours and how you managed to get outside of the keep without anyone noticing."

Kendra Greylock (Market Street)
"I know of a place, if you don't mind getting a little dirty," Pen states. He leads her into an alley, and gestures to a sewer hatch on the ground. "It's pretty heavy to lift, though."

Tulbas Erogund (Tower of Wayreth, Guest Room)
Tulbas takes a moment to look around the room again. The guest room is simple and spartan but has anything he would need--a nice soft bed, a chamberpot, a chest for his personal belongings, a washing basin and a window overlooking the forest below. The sun is shining outside and the birds living in the woods sing to each other. The door's hinges are not loose, but if Tulbas' suspicion that the door is magically sealed is correct, it wouldn't matter even if they were. He then checks the walls for secret doors, but finds none.

(OOC: Spells cannot be directed or cast if you cannot see where they are going; thus as soon as the spectral hand passed through the door, he'd lose control of it. The only thing a cantrip could help dispel is another cantrip. A cantrip has a range of 10 feet, so it could reach to the room across the hall, but since he can't see through the door, it's a moot point. And finally, Tulbas never asked which apprentice worked for which master, so he has no idea who came with the Black Robe. He could only speculate.)

Grubnick (Happee Ohgr Tavern)
The bartender shrugs. "You know, the usual promises we're offered. Equality, prestige, glory, and all of that. A place to call our own. They say we'll still get all of that, once the war is won. I guess we'll see. But we've been made such promises before."

Ne-Chanz and Shima (North Haven Sewers)
Although he cannot see what is happening, is nowhere near the area, and hasn't heard any signs of battle yet or cries of help, Ne-Chanz somehow magically knows Shima is in trouble and starts hurrying through the corridors to find him. He turns the corner and sees the dwarf engaged with a giant rat, but there is no room for the minotaur to help as the corridor is far too narrow.

The rat bites at Shima, but the dwarf blocks with his shield. He then counters, but misses.

Initiative
Ne-Chanz (1d10+5): 3+5 = 8
Shima (1d10+6): 9+6 = 15
Giant Rat (1d10+3): 8+3 = 11

Round 1!

Ne-Chanz moves 40 feet toward Shima.
Giant Rat bites at Shima through his leather armor (+2 hit) while being blocked by his masterwork buckler (-2 hit) [TN 16] (1d20): 9+2 = 11, miss.
Shima stabs at Giant Rat with his spear [TN 11] (1d20): 7, miss.

(OOC: Actions for Round 2?)

[Chris1234]

Same again..

[djhyland]

Arulia ignores the stares of the Grinning Goat's patrons and steps up to the bar. "I am looking for a couple of women, and I was wondering if you might help me," she tells the bartender. Remembering what the innkeeper at the Ivy Inn told her, she says, "They're a pair of black-robed mages, or at least that's what they're dressed as." She proceeds to describe them, using the same descriptions she gave the previous innkeeper. "Have they been by this way?"

[Haahque]

Haahqae somewhat annoyed at Mouna’s tone, replies in his own friendly tone “Hi Mouna, my name is Haahqae, nice to meet you.”
Although he’s smiling, anyone with more than a passable ability at reading people would read the sarcasm behind it.

“I’ve been outside, as you can tell. Now I don’t know about you, but when a swarm of rodents of unusual sizes start crawling around in my toilets, I start freaking out. I was scared, and I fled the levorotary rather hastily.”

“When I’m scared, I tend to hide, even if it’s not completely rational. I was hiding, and I happened to overhear some soldiers talking about arresting me not minutes after I had fled that infernal bathroom. I had no idea why they wanted to arrest me, but that didn’t give me the courage to reveal myself as I left the building.”

“Which I did rather simply. There’s a wall, I climbed down it. Hidden, since I didn’t want a bunch of soldiers arresting me for no reason. Then I went and had a rest so I could recover my wits.”

“With my wits about me once more, I was able to put my genius mind to work once more. Rats, of the kind which infest your toilets, can be dispersed through some forms of scent. I went to the market to fetch some such scents and I returned here to fix the problem.”

“Now it’s your turn to explain. Why did you order me arrested for fleeing a rat-infested bathroom?”

There are some (Haahqae not included) who might not call Haahqae the brightest bulb on the tree. Indeed, previously Haahqae had been punished for being honest in a conversation like this. However, somehow Haahqae had learned that lying was not only fun, but also easy, and that this situation was a great opportunity to give only a part of the truth. The part of the truth which didn’t include a dragon.

[HorizonsDream]

"I have bad memories of this place," Kendra mutters. Though, she reaches down to lift the hatch so that the two of them can talk.

[BishGada]

Tulbas lies flat on the floor trying to see under the door.

==========================================
(OOC: Can he?)

[spyguy1503]

Ne-Chanz waits.

[JadedDM]

Haahqae (Old Keep, Tower 1F)
"When you were hired here, you were told you were not allowed to enter the keep without an escort. That was the deal, and you broke it," Mouna says. "If, as you say, you were frightened by a few tiny rats...understandable for someone so small, I suppose...then you should have immediately turned yourself in instead of sneaking out. I'm afraid that you will not be allowed back in here again. Consider your contract terminated."

Kendra Greylock (Market Street)
The two climb down into the sewers. Kendra finds herself in a decent sized room with a river of sludge at the end. It's very dark, but the kender lights a torch. There's no other way in or out unless one wants to go for a swim. There is also nobody else around, so they should be safe to talk.

"I remember," Pen says. "Poor Darga. But it did show me that nobody ever comes down here, for good reason. It's a good place to hide out sometimes."

Tulbas Erogund (Tower of Wayreth, Guest Room)
Lying down on the ground, Tulbas peers out of the crack between the bottom of the door and the floor itself. It's quite narrow, but he can see a small part of the hallway beyond. There isn't anyone else in the vicinity that he can see.

Arulia Seroth (Grinning Goat Tavern)
The bartender shrugs. "No mages here. Haven't seen anyone like that, sorry," he says.

Ne-Chanz and Shima (North Haven Sewers)
Hissing, the giant rat leaps at Shima, its fangs gleaming in Ne-Chanz's torchlight. Shima keeps it at bay with his buckler, then proceeds to attack and miss it again.

Initiative
Ne-Chanz (N/A)
Shima (1d10+6): 8+6 = 14
Giant Rat (1d10+3): 2+3 = 5

Round 2!

Giant Rat bites at Shima through his leather armor (+2 hit) while being blocked by his masterwork buckler (-2 hit) [TN 16] (1d20): 10, miss.
Shima stabs at Giant Rat with his spear [TN 11] (1d20): 6, miss.

(OOC: Actions for Round 3?)

[HorizonsDream]

"Which is why the thieves guild wants to use it," Kendra says softly. "But to answer your question, I'm not with the bad guys," she says. "I joined them in hopes of undermining them from within their ranks. I've managed to gain the trust of the prefect, but I have to be careful."

[Chris1234]

{OOC: What are the options for changing places in a situation like this? Can Shima get behind the rat so that both PCs can attack the rat?}

Failing which, same again.

[djhyland]

Arulia nods and smiles. "Thank you for your time," she says before turning around and leaving the bar.

Figuring that it's the best lead she has left, Arulia starts towards the mageware shop. Even if the owner does wear the black robe, he shouldn't have any reason to find her suspicious, and she suspects that he'd be interested in any of his fellows coming into town.