Chapter 10: Eye of the Storm

[Dave W.]

Team B
Redoubt tries to ignore the shopkeepers expression. Who cares what others think? I am Redoubt the Bodygaurd and good at his job so long as the man was not a threat to Nerrin he could think what he wills.

Adamant seeps past the role he's playing. Or am I being rude? it wouldn't be fair to let my last encounter affect my attitude towards this merchant. A little politeness can't hurt.

"Yes sir, my needs are simple; a surcoat or tabard. One that will not restrict my movement. I was hoping for something that would suggest either light in the darkness or the colors of sun rise. Would you have something like that?"

[Ken]

Team B

Belarin nods at the shopkeeper's comment, and he begins browsing the merchandise. First he looks at some bolts of cloth, warily picking up a corner every now and then as though it were a slightly petrified type of ooze.

Then he moves over to the readymade clothes, sorting through them somewhat more honestly than he had the bolts. He searches for a set of clothes more appropriate to someone of Nerrin's profession: something well-crafted and functional for casual travel, yet mostly dark and bereft of any flair, with perhaps one bit of ornamentation -- a golden border on the lapels, for instance -- that would've been forced upon poor Nerrin by his peers at House Orien. No, not golden, recalls Belarin. Yellow. Or the luminous dark blue of the sky before a thunderstorm. Those are the colors of House Orien. But no more than a hint of that affiliation....

He also searches for something that would be appropriate for Nerrin's warforged bodyguard -- and would cover the spot on Adamant's chest -- but he resigns himself to the likelihood that it might have to be custom made.

[Jeff]

Team B

As Belarin walks among the bolts of cloth and garments, he's having trouble seeing anything fit for a warforged. But...

Sorenn scrutinizes Adamant. "I don't get much call for 'forged clothing...'cept for the Iron Guard, but they haven't needed my services in over a year now."

Shorak knows of the Iron Watch. Consisting entirely of warforged, the Iron Watch are soldiers through and through, forged for battle and hardened by war...and now employed by the Storm Lords. While the Stormreach Guard is the public face of the law in the city, its guardsmen are no match for the occasional powerful, bloodthirsty adventurers who pass through the city, or for the raging giants who beleaguer its citizens from time to time. When such threats appear, the call goes out for the Iron Watch.

While they serve to keep order and crack heads when they must, Shorak knows that the Iron Watch aren't mere bullies. They can be ruthless and decisive, but they serve the mysterious principles laid down by their own leaders more than the interests of the Storm Lords themselves; their service to the city is merely an existing arrangement. Ultimately, they are more impartial than the Stormreach Guard, but also a hell of a lot scarier.

The old tailor walks around Adamant, looking up and down, as if inspecting a mannequin. He reaches out a hand and taps on Adamant's composite plating. "Better than steel," he says, then shrugs. "Yes, you're not too short. I have a few things..."

Sorenn walks into a back room and returns with two garments, both thick surcoats with plenty of volume but wide sleeves for ease of movement. They look like they'd drape over even a tall human too loosely.

"This one," the tailor says, holding out the first. "Was commissioned for a warforged who never returned for it." The surcoat is very dark gray, with several diamonds of white arranged in an aesthetic pattern in contrast. "I would part with this for five gold pieces." He places this one down on a table.

"The other," he says, holding it up the second surcoat, "was made for one of them half-giants." This one is principally red and gold, made to look stylish but without any particular emblem adoring it. "Six gold pieces."

Both surcoats look like they'd fit Adamant well enough, if in different ways. The gold-and-red one would be looser and flow more, while the gray-and-white one would look more like it was tailored to him.

Belarin can see the two options for Adamant clearly, even as he finds an outfit of tan edged with dark blue.

Shorak, meanwhile, finds a number of garments that would fit him well, but they're all a far cry from the style of his people. There are plenty of black fabrics available, and Sorenn doesn't seem to shy away from silk, either.

[Jeff]

A refresher on the map, now that you've heard a few more place names. Team K is in Cross, in Saltire (more developments pending on Condign's discomfort issues), and Team B is in the Sloths at the other end of Cross.

[Ken]

"Sorenn," says Belarin (as Nerrin), "how much are you charging for ... this?" He indicates the tan and dark blue suit, but he speaks the final word as though he were again looking at Sarquaa's dismembered arm.

Catching Adamant's eye (or at least Belarin thinks he has -- it's hard to tell with warforged), he waves his hand casually at the two items of clothing that Sorenn has brought out. "Oh, go ahead, Redoubt. Choose if either is to your liking," he says tetchily. "I can't make ALL your decisions!"

[Brian]

Team K

As he hurries to catch up to the others, Condign's insides give an unpleasant lurch, and then settle somewhere in the vicinity of his feet. Sweat pours from him, drenching his clothing. And there is deep groaning sound, like thick wood planks bending under a great weight, emanating from deep inside his gut.

"My lord Kalarian," he says, his voice thick with urgency. "I have a . . . a situation." He leans in and whispers in Kal's ear. When he is done, he steps back and pastes a smile on his face. "Please, if Rinta knows of a place where I can, well, you know." He nods discreetly toward his tail.

[Darren]

Team K

Kal lets out a disgusted sound. "More delays! And from my bodyguard, no less. I'm sure I'll be attacked by brigands while he squats with his pants around his ankles. THIS is what I pay you for?!" Kal stalks away from Condign and over to Rinti. "Rinti, would you find a place for us to stop? It seems I must be plagued with those who cannot control themselves." A small twist curls the corner of Kal's mouth, but he fights it back. Then he remembers cleaning up after Streko their first night on the Merrow Down and his mouth curves the rest of the way down.

[Jeff]

Team K

Condign's stomach, while hardly cast-iron, is normally up to the task of handling different kinds of meals. In the Demon Wastes, game could be scarce, and one ate what what one's lessers could find. This was even more true among the Ghaash'Kala—the Labyrinth was a dangerous place, so Condign was accustomed to his orcish comrades bringing home all manner of unusual bestial meals. And his stomach always soldiered it well. Tieflings and orcs certainly have less delicate palettes than humans!

But something changed after meeting that otyugh in the bowels of Sharn. Contracting a fever from it, and even being cured of it by rest and Streko's healing administrations, left this tiefling's digestive system a little warier than it used to be. Eating almost exclusively fish for three weeks? Not a problem. But the sudden introduction of swine—and a sizeable portion, too—to a steady stream of sea food? Maybe not a good idea.

Rinti shrugs. "He hasn't even been here an hour and already Cul'Sir's revenge kicks in? Impressive. Come with me."

She leads you all to out-of-the-way alley whose ground is nothing but grates—leading, you assume, to the sewage system. It sure smells like it. But you hear no running water. Whatever darkness lies beneath the grate, it's a long drop. Rinti gestures at the alley but doesn't approach. She covers her nose instead. "Not ideal, but in an emergency, there's nowhere better."

[Brian]

Team K

The foul odor wafting out from the alley doesn't help Condign's stomach. It does another oily flip, and the sensation of urgency grows.

"That is the best . . . I am supposed to . . . in there?!" By now, he is sure his red skin has taken on a greenish cast.

When Rinta merely shrugs, Condign grimaces. "Very well. I--well, I will not be long." Condign hands Streko his sword. "Hold this plea--"

Another wave of cramps forces him to drop his sword and run into the alley, his hands working busily at his belt.

Some time later, he emerges from the dark alley, his face carefully neutral. He retrieves his sword. Looking at Kal, he says, "What are we waiting for? Your enclave awaits."

With that said, he takes off in the direction Rinta was headed.

[Darren]

Team K

"Dear Gods," Kal mutters at the stench from the alley way. "DEAR GODS!" His exasperation is palpable. "That I, Kalarian d'Deneith, scion of House Deneith, must stand here in a filthy alleyway while my subordinates foul the very streets! It's insulting! We will speak more of this later, Condign!"

Kal pushes his cloak back like a cat twitching his tail, then stalks off after Condign. Inside, he grins furiously.

[Jeff]

Team K

Rinti leads on, and soon you pass beyond Cross into Marketplace, quite possibly the most congested district in the city. The broken arches and fallen columns of the old giants' civilization are now, millennia later, covered with awnings and surrounded by market stalls. The twisting improvised streets heave with people, and most of them look like visitors. At every turn, pedestrians are accosted by people trying to sell them one thing or another.

Your guide clambers atop a pile of stones alongside the street for a better view. She scans the crowds...then looks at Kal, pointing to a group of children about Rinti's own age, and younger. They're milling about, looking like beggars or street urchins. "Mark those kids, my lord. Pickpockets, all of them, and they've got some nasty paymasters. Watch your purse." She glances at Condign. "If you're feeling better, master tiefling, you might want to play up your appearance. Around here, your kind has a fearsome reputation for not being...forgiving. Look like you'll take the head of anyone who lays a hand on you. Right now you look like you recently squatted over an open sewer." She winks.

As she leads you on, three great buildings catch your eye. They loom over everything else in this district.

"That's the Bazaar," Rinti says. A massive and permanent-looking tent rising several stories up. "Where all the best vendors are. Stay out of there for now or you'll get distracted for hours."

"That's Lorsmarch Palace, where the Storm Lords do whatever they do." Then you see a castle-like structure, clearly quarried from the ruins but also built up in a more human style. It's more palatial than militarily defensible, but you're guessing it's bristling with arcane wards.

"And that's Falconer's Spire," Rinti says, indicating the tall, slender tower that no doubt serves as a House Lyrandar docking tower, among other things; you can see four airships hovering near its apex, their elemental rings glowing with red, orange, or blue fire. The Spire rises higher than any other structure in Stormreach, as far as you can tell.

Only a couple of minutes in, you hear some shouts and screams coming from around the corner of the street you're on.

[Dave B.]

Team B

Shorak expresses some boredom after sifting through the wares. He moves closer to the door and stands at the ready, prepared for anything.

He has committed to memory two of the black silks. One fine with a high sheen, perfect for a dinner with a certain captain. The other, more sturdy, with more of a matte finish. In fact, Shorak thinks if one could make a fabric from a shadow, this fabric would be very close to what you might get.

[Darren]

Kal nods at Rinti when she points out the children, then gestures for Tangat to walk by his side, staying close by his leg, between his purse and anyone who would be walking past him. "Were you once one of them?" Kal asks Rinti.

When he hears the shouts, Kal arches an eyebrow at Rinti. "A common occurrence around here?"

[Brian]

Team K

Rinti

She glances at Condign. "If you're feeling better, master tiefling, you might want to play up your appearance. Around here, your kind has a fearsome reputation for not being...forgiving. Look like you'll take the head of anyone who lays a hand on you. Right now you look like you recently squatted over an open sewer."

"That is because I . . . ." Condign's voice trails off, and he swallows hard. "Never mind." He turns to Kal. Cocking an eyebrow, he says, "If my lord does not mind, from this point on, you will do as I say. Your life is in my hands, and I intend on keeping you alive." With a grin, he reaches up and gently pats Kal's cheek. "Besides, your mother would never forgive me if I allowed even a scratch to mar that pretty face."

Then he spins around, his grin curling into a snarl, and brandishes his sword. At the sound of cries, his head snaps around.

"Everyone stay behind!" he says sharply, and waits to see if a threat develops.

[Darren]

Team K

"If I remember correctly," Kal says quietly, "the last time you had any dealings with my family, my brother was hauling you off in chains....."

[Jeff]

Team K

"Ummm, not all the time," Rinti says with some concern. She backs up, unnerved by the fact that the screams coming from around the corner are from children. But one man's voice cuts through them all, the agonizing howl of a dying or gravely wounded man. Streko's healer instincts are struck a discordant blow.

"We...should go back...another way," Rinti says, stumbling backward and into Kal. It's clear to human, tiefling, and halfling that the half-elf girl isn't quite sure what the commotion is, either.

But then you hear a deep roar of something big. Not quite inhuman, but something with a very large set of lungs.

This is punctuated by heavy footfalls. All of this is taking place just out of sight around a heavy fallen marble column.

[Joe]

Dec 23, 2011 14:50:47 GMT -4 Jeff said:

Team K

"Ummm, not all the time," Rinti says with some concern. She backs up, unnerved by the fact that the screams coming from around the corner are from children. But one man's voice cuts through them all, the agonizing howl of a dying or gravely wounded man. Streko's healer instincts are struck a discordant blow.

"We...should go back...another way," Rinti says, stumbling backward and into Kal. It's clear to human, tiefling, and halfling that the half-elf girl isn't quite sure what the commotion is, either.

But then you hear a deep roar of something big. Not quite inhuman, but something with a very large set of lungs.

This is punctuated by heavy footfalls. All of this is taking place just out of sight around a heavy fallen marble column.

TEAM K

"We most certainly will not go back....or another way. For three reasons, child. First, reacting as such would mark us clearly as fearful victims, despite our outward appearance. Secondly, we are here to be noticed, and slinking our way about does not assist us in that regard. And thirdly..."

He looks at Kalarian and grins. "...when have we ever turned our backs on someone in need? There is blood to be paid, from the sounds of it...and we are just the three to demand the toll. At your command, of course, my Lord."

[Dave W.]

Team B
Redoubt nods at Nerrin's words, "Of course, Master Nerrin, I will try to not appear so distracted while looking for threats to your safety".

Turning to the shopkeeper, "I assume both are excellent examples of the craft. I must say I am drawn to the colors of the red and gold, but I think the grey is better for my current role... By which I mean occupation... as bodyguard if you must know."

"umm, yes, errr, the grey looks much more... ummm bodygaurd-ish...", Adamant starts scratching at the shiny spot and seems to have lost half a foot of height, "or -ly... That is to say, I am a bodyguard and the grey will make me look so... Not that there's any reason I wouldn't look so... ummm," Adamant's left hand actually pulls his right from it's nervous scratching. "is it always so hot here? Ummm... Also... too..."

A few more syllables wander free from Adamant's voice box but nothing coherent.

[Darren]

Team K

Dec 23, 2011 21:32:14 GMT -4 Joe said:

"We most certainly will not go back....or another way. For three reasons, child. First, reacting as such would mark us clearly as fearful victims, despite our outward appearance. Secondly, we are here to be noticed, and slinking our way about does not assist us in that regard. And thirdly..."

He looks at Kalarian and grins. "...when have we ever turned our backs on someone in need? There is blood to be paid, from the sounds of it...and we are just the three to demand the toll. At your command, of course, my Lord."

Kal kneels down next to Streko and lowers his voice. "Streko, one of the worst ways to draw attention to oneself is to announce that you are trying to do so. It tends to make people wonder what it is you are drawing attention AWAY from...."

Kal remains kneeling, looking between Streko and Condign, his brows drawn low. "You would really tangle with a giant?" he asks. "Is that your desire?" Kal's eyes scan his friends, and he sees their resolve. Placing his hands on his knees, he pushes himself to his feet with a sigh. "Very well...."

Suddenly Kal's voice booms forth louder than humanly possible. "Clear a path! Make way for Kalarian d'Deneith! Someone explain this disturbance to me. IMMEDIATELY!" Kal pushes forward through the crowd as he speaks, moving through the wave of humanity opening up around him.

____________
Kal will use Ghost Sound to amplify his voice.

[Joe]

TEAM K

"Well said, my Lord. You are, of course, quite correct. Hence why you are who you are...and I am who I am."

He smiles and nods, then turns to Rinti. "Stay back and out of harms way, young one. I would not wish you to be hurt in any way."

He then follows Kal toward the disturbance, whatever it may be. "I am hoping I will at some point have a chance to restock my kit. I fear I am running low on supplies."

[Jeff]

Team B

"Very well, it is now yours," Sorenn says unconcerned to Adamant, then looks to Belarin. "Who's paying?"

Then addresses Shorak, after interpreting the half-drow's expressions and body language with experience. "The black silks are out of fashion now, so my sales tell me. Don't worry, young man. They'll still be here when you return."

_______________

Team K's more action-packed post coming later.

[Jeff]

Team K

Suddenly Kal's voice booms forth louder than humanly possible. "Clear a path! Make way for Kalarian d'Deneith! Someone explain this disturbance to me. IMMEDIATELY!" Kal pushes forward through the crowd as he speaks, moving through the wave of humanity opening up around him.

The nearest people jump away, clearing space for Kal and Condign to lead their group forward. Determined, then, to get involved, you all round the corner...

And see a street in chaos, a scene that probably unfolded a full minute before you got close enough to hear the shouting.

It's hard to piece together what happened just yet, but the immediate threat registers quick: a giant, rampaging freely!

Easily thirteen feet tall, swinging around a massive cudgel already stained with gore. Dark tanned skin, animal hide not so much clothing the giant as bound to it with thick ropes like an afterthought. And—it has two heads! An....ettin? Each head swivels this way and that, infuriated and roaring more like a bear than a man. While one hand clutches the club, the other is gripping a heavy chunk of rock—it, too, is plastered with blood and...bits of bone. Three crossbow bolts stick out of his chest, looking ineffectual. Lying haphazardly on the ground is a long slender green rope of some kind.

Curiously, you see another giant—a hill giant?—but this one is lying facedown on the street. He's not quite as massive as the ettin, and he's only got one head, full of dark, braided hair—whereas the ettin's heads look more porcine and monstrous, with wild tufts of hair.

The people nearby are shouting and scurrying away. A couple of vendor stalls have been smashed apart, and shards of broken pottery, copper and silver coins, and fruit litter the ground.

You see three members of the Stormreach Guard on the opposite side of the scene. One is dead, his torso looking completely deflated and torn, pooling blood around him. Another moans on the ground, his right leg utterly crushed, barely conscious: this was the man's whose agonizing screams you heard a moment ago, but he's fading fast. The third guard is reloading his crossbow, pale and cursing.

Guards aside, you see three other obvious victims: two men and one woman, both just beneath the ettin. The men are newly slain: one with a smashed-in head, one with an arm literally torn from his body and still pumping out blood. The young woman, alive, lies among them and unlike the two dead men, she is armored in black and red leather, trimmed in gold. She is sitting up awkwardly on the cobbles, feebly clutching at a battle-axe in one hand: her other arm looks broken, hanging limply and in a bad angle. She is gasping, trying not to scream. There is blood on her axe...

...And you can now see a very nasty cut just under the ettin's left armpit, bleeding badly. The dark-haired woman is obviously a warrior and got at least one good blow in before taking her cripplying injury. But the ettin stands over her now, roaring his fury, and she doesn't look capable of dodging the next inevitable blow.

"No way," Rinti breathes, looking on, clearly frightened. She tugs on Kal's cloak. "My...my lord, let us go back! The Iron Watch will show up. They...they'll stop that thing. It's not worth dying here."

__________________________________

Map notes:

B = bystanders
St = Stormreach Guards
Hill G. = unconscious or dead hill giant
W = injured armored woman with axe

Those are rope-and-wooden-plank walkways running overhead.

Remember that "faded out" icons are those who are unconscious, dying, or dead. If they're dead, I eventually fade them out so they don't clutter the map.

Darren, Joe, and Brian: roll Initiative! And each of you also roll a Perception check for a chance to notice something else about the scene.

[Darren]

Kal stares in horror at the scene before him. This is bad, he thinks. Too many innocents around. No good way to control this situation. This could be a bloodbath.

"I'm sorry, Rinti, but that's not the way we do things," he says, not taking his eyes from the Ettin. "I need you to stay calm, Rinti. I need your help." Now Kal tears his eyes away and focuses them hard on the girl. "If the Deneith enclave is close enough, I want you to run there as fast as you can and tell them that Kalarian Jaeran d'Deneith of Sentinal Tower needs help, and he needs it fast. Otherwise, get this Iron Watch and bring them here. GO!"

Now Kal turns his attention to the two-headed monster. He draw Skyfang and glares at the ettin as electricity balls up on the blade of the silvery dagger. "Hold nothing back," he says to his companions. Then he unleashes a ball of energy towards his foe. It whirls with color as it flies through the air and hits the ettin just as it turns yellow. Blinding light flares from the point of impact, dazzling all those foolish enough to look directly at it.

Kal, unfortunately, is so focused on his attack that he fails to notice details of the environment around him. His attention is drawn by the innocents. "Tangat, try to pull some of them to safety, if you can. Don't get too close to that thing, though. I don't want to have to rescue you, as well."



____________
Initiative (1d20+5=17)

Perception check (1d20+5=6)

Chromatic Orb vs. Reflex (1d20+8=22)

Damage (3d10+5=20)

Damage type (1d6=1)

Damage type = radiant and target is dazed (save ends)

[Brian]

Team K

Condign stops abruptly. The scene before him is almost unbelievable. So much death and dying. And the large two-headed giant, obviously enraged, is not going to stop anytime soon.

Then Kal shouts and electricity fills the air. Condign has to agree--if they didn't help, more innocents would die.

With a tielfing battle cry, he rushes up to the fallen woman, his blade flashing in the sun, his shield held high to protect himself.

___________________________

Initiative Roll: (1d20+3=9) and +2 for Combat Leader bonus

Perception Check: (1d20+4=13)

Movement Action: three squares east, one north
Standard Action: Viper's Strike on the Ettin

Attack Roll vs AC: (1d20+11=18)

If it hits, Damage Roll: (1d10+5=14)

Kal get's the opportunity attack should the ettin shift.

[Jeff]

Team B

"Sorenn," says Belarin (as Nerrin), "how much are you charging for ... this?" He indicates the tan and dark blue suit, but he speaks the final word as though he were again looking at Sarquaa's dismembered arm.

"Know my name, do you?" Sorenn answers, coming over to Belarin and looking at him shrewdly. Belarin feels that Nerrin is being guessed. Then he look sat the tan and blue suit Belarin is looking at. "Two gold pieces," he says, "Or galifars, as you probably call them back home, for those clothes."

Then the bell chimes as the front door to the shop opens and a trio of dwarves enters—two males and one female. Two of them are particularly well dressed in noblemen's attire; there is a familial resemblance between them, perhaps a father and daughter?

The female's dress is equisite, trimmed in gold, and for a dwarf she's rather slender yet shapely. You can see part of a dragonmark—it can only be the Kundarak Mark of Warding—swirl across her open collar and breastbone. A necklace glittering with diamond-like jewels also adorns her throat, and you can see its elegant shape is designed to complement the dragonmark behind it. Her hair, brown and gray, is thick, braided high and flowing all around her. She is middle-aged but well kept—quite comely for her race. Her older relative is certainly not. Quite elderly but still dwarf-strong, his beard is solid gray and he wears a skullcap on his otherwise bald head. His face is wrinkled and leathery, and one eye is glazed white. You see no dragonmark on him. The woman helps to guide him but he still walks of his own accord.

The third dwarf, positioned possessively close to them, is armored in fine silvery mail—possibly mithral—and wears the colors of House Kundarak. A heavy crossbow is slung over his back and he carries a warhammer openly in two hands. A no-nonsense bodyguard. He immediately scans the shop, notes all occupants, and looks with narrowed, suspicious eyes at each of you, settling the most on Adamant. The bodyguard's face is scarred, his eyes experienced, his beard short and braided for utility.

The two Kundarak nobles, however, barely notice you and are continuing their conversation.

"...codswallop," the old dwarf is saying.

"Aye, Uncle," the female says. "But we stand to gain so much. It's a crazed goose chase, the whole event, as it always has been. But you need to convince them to establish new contracts with each party of fools who even inquires about protection."

The elder dwarf softens his voice some now, but in the quiet shop you can still make out his words. "The quest is a fool's errand, aye, but Gerhest is a real and dangerous place. There will be much death, regardless."

The dwarf woman shrugs. "A moment, Uncle. I must find a new dress for the gala. It is too late to have one made." She sighs, disatisfied, and drifts over to the nearest rack of dresses.

The bodyguard positions himself exactly halfway between the niece and the uncle. He continues to eye the three of you.

[Joe]

Dice roller is giving me THIS error message:

503 - Service Not Available

Which means that, at this time, all I can do is tell you what Streko is going to do and I will need your assistance with the dice rolling (including, obviously, initiative and perception rolls).

How annoying. Sorry, Jeff.
____________________________________________________

Streko gasps at the carnage before him. He calls out to Olladra and points his right hand directly at the two-headed beast, even as his left reaches back into his haversack and pulls Therendor from its home.

A blinding flash erupts from Streko's holy symbol followed almost immediately by a burning column of brilliant, radiant energy that plummets down and engulfs the enraged monstronsity.
____________________________________________________

Streko casts DAUNTING LIGHT.

ATTACK: (1d20+8 vs. reflex)

HIT: 2d10 + 6 radiant damage plus (whoever between Condign and Kal that is at a combat disadvantage - if both or neither, then Kal) gains a combat advantage against the thing until the end of Streko's next turn.

[Dave W.]

Team B

Dec 26, 2011 14:21:56 GMT -4 Jeff said:

"Very well, it is now yours," Sorenn says unconcerned to Adamant, then looks to Belarin. "Who's paying?"

Adamant recovers himself a bit. "Yes, well that's settled then. Ah, Mister Nerrin will no doubt make payment arrangements."

Redoubt drops his shield and pack to shoulder into the grey surcoat. He makes the last adjustment as the dwarves arrive.

Redoubt takes the scene in and makes a nod to the obvious bodyguard. The warforged slings his pack into place and picks up his heavy shield.

well, Kal and the others are hopefully having a better way of it.
------------------
okay fixed now...

[Dave B.]

Shorak does not shy from the look of the Dwarven bodyguard. In fact, he gives the scarred Dwarf a knowing look and nod as if to say, yes, we are both on similar paths. You take care of your's and I'll take care of mine and not trouble each other.

He does take a longer look at the two nobles, to see if he knows them.

Streetwise check? If so, 1d20+11. The dice roller is still down.

[Ken]

Team B

Belarin makes note of the new arrivals, but he says nothing to them. Yet.

Dec 27, 2011 15:38:28 GMT -4 Jeff said:

"Know my name, do you?" Sorenn answers, coming over to Belarin and looking at him shrewdly. Belarin feels that Nerrin is being guessed. Then he look sat the tan and blue suit Belarin is looking at. "Two gold pieces," he says, "Or galifars, as you probably call them back home, for those clothes."

"Well, of course I know your name," says Belarin, speaking as Nerrin with a slightly exasperated tone. "As I said, I was recommended to your shop. 'Sorenn's shop' ... one person inside ... must be Sorenn, yes? Yes. If there's a shortcut to conversation, I generally prefer to take it." His voice is at a normal pitch, enough for the newcomers to hear unless they're preoccupied. "Now then, two galifars. That includes the clothing for my 'forged, yes? If so, reasonable. I would like to conclude this transaction quickly and move along, in case that rumor about the Karrnathi psychopaths is true."

[Jeff]

Team K / Round 1

18 = Rinti
17 = Kal / Tangat
16 = Ettin's left side
15 = Streko
13 = Ettin's right side
9 = Condign

(Yeah, Invisible Castle is on the fritz again; I'm using the WotC Dice Roller for now.)
_________________

Kal:

"If the Deneith enclave is close enough, I want you to run there as fast as you can and tell them that Kalarian Jaeran d'Deneith of Sentinel Tower needs help, and he needs it fast. Otherwise, get this Iron Watch and bring them here. GO!"

"Forgelight's too far!" Rinti says, skipping back to be further behind Kal and further from the ettin's deadly reach. Then she sprints over to the nearest vendor's stall and with remarkable agility leaps up onto its tent frame and climbs to the walkway above it.

Kal turns immediately and unleashes one of his most powerful spells. The chromatic orb cycles through its every color but when it hits the ettin in its massive bare chest, it blossoms into the bright yellow-white of the sun. For a moment, Kal thinks of Dol Arrah, the goddess of the rising sun that Adamant worships. The man-giant bellows from both mouths under the spell's power, and when the light washes away, the giant's eyes blink furiously.

Taking advantage of the ettin's distraction, Tangat launches forward even within the monster's reach. The dog clamps down on the injured, armored woman's good arm—who curses with a husky voice, surprised by his sudden appearance—and starts to drag her back. It's not enough to pull her clear of the giant's reach, but she's no longer almost under foot.

Then the ettin lashes out with an inhuman growl, frighteningly fast, with his left arm—the massive cudgel whistling as it glides through the air. His left head roars at a woman trying to get away between him and the colossal stone wall of an old giant's column. The woman—a limping, middle-aged resident who you don't even have a chance to get a good look at—lets out a terrified scream—

—and the next second her body is completely pulped against the stone column with a sickening crunch, as her lifeblood splashing it with bright red. The cudgel comes away, and you can barely stomach the grisly scene. More screams from nearby.

His stomach souring at the sight, Streko nevetheless unleashes a deadly prayer. Holy fire roars down from the sky and engulfs the ettin, searing and confusing it further. As it does, Streko notices someone looking on from the rooftop of a nearby building (the brown '?' icon in the upper right corner of the map). Hooded and cloaked in drab brown, the figure is almost hiding in plain sight, just visible behind the tip of the roof. But unlike every other bystander on the scene, this one isn't panicked or trying to get away. It's just....watching, lingering. That's the only thing that makes Streko wonder.

• Kal's attack (chromatic orb) hits ettin's Reflex defense: 20 radiant damage to ettin and ettin is dazed (save ends). It gets only one action on its turn.
• The ettin grants combat advantage to all.
• Kal's Perception check: 6
• Ettin's left half's attack vs. bystander: 27 (hit) / 12 damage to bystander
• Bystander is slain.
• Streko's attack (daunting light) vs. ettin's Reflex defense: 23 (hit) / 22 radiant damage to ettin and Condign gains combat advantage against the ettin until the end of Streko's next turn
• Streko's Perception check: 28

[/blockquote]The ettin's right head acts independently of its twin, and snarls as it reaches out with his right arm and the large piece of rubble in its grasp. It swooshes through the air just inches above the armored woman's head; she hissed and smacks weakly at it with her axe but the ettin's aim was mercifully poor.

And then Condign is there, shield raises, sword flashing. He sees the ettin—both heads dazed by Kal's then Streko's astonishing attacks, and takes advantage. His broadsword, always in hand since he's still without a scabbard for it, cuts cleanly through one of its lowest ribs, splashing blood upon the cobbles and eliciting a confused gasp of pain from the two-headed giant. But Holy Host, the damned thing is very tall, probably the strongest humanoid Condign's ever seen up close.

Closer to the woman now, Condign sees that she's wearing the armor and symbol of a dragonmarked house. But he's not sure which one offhand...there's some sort of leonine figure on her tabard.

• The ettin's right half's attack vs. armored woman: 17 (miss)
• Ettin's saving throw: 15 (successful, no longer dazed)
• Condign's attack (viper's strike) vs. ettin's AC: 18 +2 (combat advantage) = 20 (hit) / 14 damage to ettin, and if the ettin shifts before the end of Condign's next turn, Kal gains an opportunity attack against it.

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Yup, the ettin gets two different turns, one for each head. ;D