Chapter 3 - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

[BigRedRod]

Sevilin flicks his longsword upwards along the length of the shadowy figure before him, even in the relative darkness of the bedroom his sword manages to bury itself in the flesh of a man who simply does not have time to react to a figure who goes from sleeping to fighting in a handful of seconds. The dragon-blooded ranger feels the warmth of blood on his face, but his foe remains upright.

At the other side of the room Daison gestures and recites a few arcane words of power, the air before him distorts briefly as the shield of force comes in to being.

Taking a more direct approach, Bollan sends his wooden cot hurtling through the air towards one of the men lurking in the darkness. The object flies rather clumsily and only manages to clip the man on the side of the arm before striking against a wall and deftly removing a large area of plaster from it along with the rear two of its legs in an almighty crash.

Having just been struck by a bed, the man staggers a little as he attempts to close the distance with the now armed Bollan. Sevilin lashes out as the man rushes past but his blow goes wide on account of not really being able to see. Lashing out with a bladed weapon of some kind, Bollan dodges and bats the attack away with his banded cuirass.
The injured figure beside Sevilin wheels around him and swings a metal club around and into his ribs.

"Dammit, what are you two doing?"
A sudden surge of light blinds the trio for a split second as the third figure makes his way through the passage behind the fireplace. Getting to his feet, the lantern he holds in his left hand illuminates the room and his two colleagues. The assassins are indeed men, each clad in black to help him move around undetected through the dark passages of the manor house. The sight of Sevillin before him clearly comes as something of a surprise, and the third man doesn't even attempt to swing the sword he carries in his right hand.

[ooc: No more penalties for fighting in the dark]

Initiative
Sevilin
Diason
Bollan
Man #1 (shortsword)
Man #2 (light mace)
Man #3 (longsword)

Map

[Tamarind]

Wincing from the blow and not liking the new odds Sevilin makes a split-second decision and laucnes an aggressive attack on the surprised newcomer, both blades whirling in the lanternlight, trusting to footwork to keep the mace-wielder from landing a second blow.

[OOC Full attack on 3 with longsword and shortsword]

[Dev]

A wince also comes from Daison, not from physical pain, but in seeing Sevilin pounce violently on the one who just arrived. His mind hesitates to attack someone who apparently might know what's going on, and hasn't even drawn a weapon. He therefore moves to assist Bollan, locking his gaze on the shadowy figure for a moment, then makes a quick gesture and flicks an arrow of force at him.

As the missile strikes, Daison attempts to diffuse the conflict with deterrence: "Back! Stay away!" He holds up his offending pointer finger as it becomes available again, as though it's some sort of threat.

(5-foot step N. Magic missile on "1".)

[Thanos]

Bollan doesn't even blink as the missle goes flying by his head to land in the chest of the foe in front of him. Findind the man distracted by Daison's attack he thrusts his short sword swiftly into the mans midsection and up towards the heart. Connecting or not he slides to the right to keep the incompotent assassins or thieves from being able to hit Sevilin from two sides.


[Full attack with Gladius at +7 for 1d6+4, then a 5' step to the right between 1/2]

[BigRedRod]

The paired blades flash in the lantern light as Sevilin deftly thrusts and whirls. The figure gasps briefly before falling down sideways with a soft thud on the thick, and now blood-stained, carpet. His lantern lands sideways, through some wonder it manages to stay alight during the melee.

Daison's spell whirls silently through the air hitting the man who had only moments before been struck with the side of an airborne bed. Reeling from the impact of the magical arrow he barely even moves as Bollan jams his sword forwards. It travels swiftly through flesh and bone as the gladiator drives the blade upwards. Jolting suddenly, the assassin falls down into a crumpled lifeless heap.

Spinning around, Bollan comes face to face with the remaining assailant just in time to see the man drop to his knees and cast his weapon aside,
"Please! Have mercy"

Map

[Thanos]

His sword dripping blood Bollan looks for a few seconds like he is going to impale the guy. Instead he cleans his blade one side on each shoulder before heading out into the Hallway and over to his favorite cleric's room.

"Diason, pick up that weapon and keep this guy subdued while the Ranger and I find our cleric."

[Dev]

Killing ogres and ghola was one thing. The stench of human blood, on the other hand, turns Daison's stomach. It takes him several moments to summon the resolve to move from the corner of the room and retrieve the remaining assassin's blade. He weakly nods to Bollan without a word, then takes a position next to the overturned bed, awkwardly holding the lone attacker at point.

[Tamarind]

The stench of blood seems to have a much different effect on the young ranger, his expression is one of cruel satisfaction as he steps over the body of his assailant. Smiling coldly at the remaining assassin he locks eyes with him for a moment then moves swiftly to follow Bollan, blades at the ready,

"She had best be well - for their sakes"

he mutters as he catches the gladiator up

[BigRedRod]

Bursting into the room opposite Sevilin and Bollan keep their weapons ready to strike as they quickly survey the darkness for any lingering threats. Rather than another group of assassins doing battle with Inyx, the room is bare. There is no sign of either the priestess or anybody else.

Squinting in the dark neither Sevilin or Bollan see no trace of where their priestess might have gone.

[Thanos]

Bollan looks worried at Sevilin and returns to back to his room saying, "I am putting on my armor and getting my big sword. Then this other guy is going to talk real fast."

Bollan heads back to the other room where he puts his armor back on, including his helmet, gets his great sword and points it at the captured man. "The others were quick, but if you don't answer truthfully and quickly your death will be very slow. Who is involved, why did you do it, and where did they take her!"


[Intimidation +7 (maybe a modifier for his life on the line and the terrifying demon like being before him in the dim flickering lamp light.]

[BigRedRod]

Sitting in silence as the gladiator arms himself, the surviving assassin avoids eye contact with his captors instead choosing to stare intently at the ground. Once or twice over the minutes it takes Bollan to prepare he takes a deep breath as if preparing to speak, but nothing ever comes of it.

Finally when Bollan asks his questions, he only hesitates briefly before answering with his eyes still on the carpet soiled by the blood of his allies,
"All of us. Why? If we didn't kill you then you'd talk, it was the two nobles in the other rooms we wanted."
He looks up briefly at the three men, his face is a portrait of defeat although it is washed briefly with confusion,
"She might already be dead. The elf should have been here and he should have been there. I don't know. We kill the servants and the nobles... we give them to The Daughter Of Ezra. Soon she'll be hatched and it'll all this will have been worth it."

Through red-rimmed eyes the captive looks Bollan in the eye,
"If she's still alive then the others must have taken her to The Daughter. Go through the fireplace, there's a trapdoor. Follow the passages to get under the manor, that is where she'll be."

[Thanos]

Bollan looks to Diason and Sevilin and shrugs now knowing what half of what the guy just said.

[Tamarind]

Sevilin scowl deepens as he listens to the assassin's brief tale,

"So. You take the nobles and their servants and sacrifice them to this Daughter creature? What kind of monsters are you?"

He shakes his head, fists clenched as he resists the urge to vent his anger. Taking a deep breath he glances at the others,

"We need to get after them - they can't be far ahead if they're carrying her."

Then another realisation dawns,

"What of the other nobles - the family here and their daughter? Were they targetted too?"

His tone is urgent and laced with menace.

[Dev]

Sweating with anxiety, Daison barely glances to Sevilin with a frown. Perhaps the other two hadn't picked up on it, but the bumbling assassin made it clear: if it weren't for Daison's gracious manners, Inyx wouldn't be in this mess. They had expected to find him in that room--a single room that under any circumstance deserved to be his--but instead, found the lady of the party, to whom Daison had felt he should offer one of his rare courtesies. It was all his fault. Him and that stupid gentleman's code.

"We've to go after Inyx. I can't let anything happen to her."

[BigRedRod]

The prisoner shakes his head,
"Not the servants, we try to make it painless for them. Their masters... what does it matter if a few of those greedy bastards have to suffer for Ezra's golden age to begin?"
Passion briefly flickers through his eyes but the impossibility of reason or escape silences him once more.

[Tamarind]

Sevilin nods at Daison,

"On that we agree. Let's move, I'll take care of this one."

He steps forward calmly towards the prisoner, blade raised, eyes cold.

[Thanos]

Bollan turns and heads towards the secret passage on his way to save Inyx and the other nobles knowing that his fire breathing friend can handle the thug.

[BigRedRod]

Grabbing the lantern, Bollan ducks through the fireplace with Daison close behind. The area beyond is uncomfortably cramped, the ceiling not reaching much higher than Bollan's shoulder and not quite wide enough to allow him to move without angling his shoulders. The rather shorter Daison has no such physical trouble but finds it a little claustrophobic nevertheless.

The tiny room doesn't even bear wall sconces, in fact it's only features aside from numerous cobwebs and dust are an open trapdoor and a lever on the back of the fireplace. Holding the lantern over the black pit, the duo hear the wet sound of a sword stroke finding flesh and the dull thud of something having been severed. Looking over his shoulder, Daison is greeted by the form of Sevilin wiping the blood from his blade.

Dropping down the ladder with his two companions close behind, Bollan finds himself in a near identical chamber. Crampt, dusty, full of cobwebs and an open trapdoor leading further down. The only break in the bare stone walls is a small wooden panel with another level beside it, doubtlessly another secret passage leading to whatever room lies on the ground floor beneath the guest bedroom.

With no time to lose, the three continue downwards and find themselves at the end of another narrow but rather longer passage. The air is distinctly colder here, in what must be the manor's basement. As in the secret rooms above the walls and floor are bare stone blocks, although here a lit torch hangs on a wall sconce and the ceiling isn't quite as low (although Bollan still can't stand without stooping).

At the opposite side of the short passage (a good forty or fifty feet away) another ladder is fixed to the wall, leading upwards into the other half of the manor.

The only other feature of the narrow corridor is a stout looking wooden door midway between the two ladders. From beyond it there are muffled noises would sound rather like voices.

[Thanos]

Bollan looks to his two companions for their signs of readiness. Pointing to Sevilin to take one side of the door, Bollan mimics the tactics they used in the ruins with him going first and Sevilin dropping in right behind him after having opened the door. Diason is free to follow or stand in the cooridor as he deems best, of course.

[Tamarind]

Sevilin draws his second blade and nods, moving into position

[BigRedRod]

The door opens inwards and absolutely silently making it sadly unimpressive when Bollan and Sevillin come face to face with the rear of a heavily stocked wine rack. The rear of a very old wine rack. Several large pieces of extremely thin wood lie on the ground by Bollan's boots. It looks rather like the wine rack was serving as a fake wall, built just a few feet away from the actual wall.

A voice calls out, evidently noticing the party's lantern light being transmitted through the barrier but not actually being able to make out who has come down through the secret passages of the manor and into the cellar,
"We all good, then?"

The voice is full of youth and excitement but peering through the gaps between the dusty bottles of wine and into the flickering light beyond doesn't allow for many details of the speaker.

What can be seen is that the room is clearly a wine cellar, hundreds of dusty bottles fill racks made of dark, ancient-looking, wood. The floor is bare stone with patches of dirt here and there. A large stone staircase leading upwards flanked by a pair of thin metal columns each bearing a fat candle. The two candles don't offer a great deal in terms of light.

A great circular stone sits opposite the stairs but a little out of line, offset from the hole in the wine cellar floor which a spiral staircase descends down into. Stood next to the top step of the uncovered staircase is sole occupant of the room. Distorted echoes spill out from below, the sounds are distorted but could well be voices... or the rushing wind... or groans.

To Sevilin's left there is a gap in the wine rack where a section of the fake wall has been moved forwards to allow access to the secret passage network beyond.



[ooc: purple boxes are the wine racks, hopefully everything else is clear]

[Tamarind]

Sevilin blinks at the question, hesitates a second then speaks up, his voice a little gruffer than usual,

"Yeah, all good."

As he speaks he moves through the opening, trying to conceal his face in the shadows of the rack for as long as possible as he moves casually towards the sound of the voice.

[Thanos]

Bollan tries to not make a lot of clinking sounds as he follows, which reduces his ability to move at speed, but still lets him try and fill in the distance behind Sevilin to back him up.

[BigRedRod]

Edging through the narrow gap behind Sevlin Bollan does his best to mute the metallic clinks and clangs of the metal bands surrounding his body. The going is slow, but unexpected sounds could potentially alert the solitary remaining guard.

Daison's robe, the simple light cotton garment the noble favoured for wearing to bed offered no such problems, but trapped behind Bollan as he was he walked at a equally sedate pace, his knuckles whit around his crossbow.

"Best be gettin' down then, t'others are already startin'."
The voice carries no hint of suspicion. Just that of a man satisfied that his job isn't throwing up an unnecessary problems. Problems such as one of the nobles having switched beds with a servant, or the assassins having failed in their task.

Sevilin steps out from behind the ancient wine rack as the youthful voice pipes up again,
"I'll give an 'and with door."

Still on the other side of a free standing wine rack and therefore still unable to tell that Sevilin, Bollan and Daison has taken the place of the expected trio, the figure closes the distance to the party. His steps alternate between damped and loud echoing snaps as his boots fall heavily on bare stone and layers of soil.

Far below, the distorted sounds rise in volume and clarity. A deep rythym. Many voices chanting in unison.

Intiative
Sevilin
Daison
Bollan

Map



[ooc: Given that you're aware you are about to spotted, you've got a surprise round. Gentlemen give me your Standard actions]

[Thanos]

Bollan heads in behind Sevilin unconcerned with making noise now trying to get into a position to help.


[Standard move]