[Game Thread] A job with a journey

[Qerps]

They had surrendered without asking for anything. As far as Healklyr was concerned, he was not bound by anything because of that and good virtue was overrated. “I was just saying that I’d go with whatever you decided.” He gave a shrug. The Dwarf almost made it sound like it had been his idea to take down the rest of this lot and be done with it. Quite ironic given he had been the one to end the talking in the first place.

The Half-Orc may not have been much of a fight, but the Drow could appreciate his sense for survival and his quick thinking. If only he had done that before foolishly threatening them. Aside from that, he had quite a few interesting things to say. “Well, you killing the oxen is only marginally better than you giving you the lot, so I’m all for finding a middle ground.” He pushed himself off from the cart he was leaning again and stood upright. His hands were empty, but his weapons could not be lowered, the advantage of working with magic.

“I am curious though. Who of them is your partner and why would you try to rob him?” The name, Kizdean did catch his interest, but he would keep his questions on that subject to himself for now. First he wanted to know more about this employer business though.

[X-Codes]

While Healklyr questions Roderick, Loric looks around the caravan. He couldn't believe that a merchant would deal with orc bandits for whatever reason, but he cast his gaze around the caravan all the same. He eventually walks up to the front, standing at the base of the lead wagon. "Don't bother, Healklyr. I doubt any upstanding merchant would be stupid enough to deal with a gang of bandits. I mean, what's stopping the bandits from killing off the merchant once the guards are all dead? He's just trying to buy time because he still thinks he's got a shot at looting the caravan, especially if we start fighting each other." Loric says as he steps ahead of the lead caravan. "What to do with them, though, is something we apparently don't agree on. I say we put it to our bosses." He turns to the pudgy one driving the lead wagon. "So what do you say? Do we give our assailants here a flying lesson or just hogtie them until we get to a safe location?"

[realbrit70]

"Why am I intent on killing you? Because you stood between me and my goal. I've found the simplest answer for that lies at the end of my knife. You arrogance continues to make me believe that and question my own choice in sparing your life." Paelias shrugs, pulling the blade slightly away from the half orc's throat. "If I had killed you life would have been simple, we would have carried along the path to the completion of our goal and been paid. However now your comrades have had time to recover from their initial shock and you have raised questions that need to be answered. See how messy the whole thing has suddenly become? I don't like messy, I like simple and dead seems to be the simplest of all."

"Now the name Kizdean Gix means nothing to me, but there is another who must answer to your accusations." Paelias calls out, "Xaokun, our friend here is suggesting that you are working with him to rob your merchant charges. What say you to these accusations? What about you other merchants? I would advise that nobody decide this is a good time to lie because there will not be enough world for you to hide from my anger should you do so."

 

Insight: 16

[Hyregoth]

Roderick straightens his tunic and motions once more for his men to lower their weapons.

"Well Rogue, I thank you for lowering your blade. Now I understand that the confusion I had about your hasty attack was only the fault of your faulty logic. Your caravan could have been destroyed a lot faster if I had not given the orders to let you all live. My men could have easily picked through the debris at the bottom of the ravine. If I died now or then, the results would have been the same.
The reason that we did not want bloodshed was for the sake of my associates, and for the record, I did not say who...be it Xaokun or anyone else. Speaking of my associates...they would be able to recover the losses by using insurance. As long as there was no great loss of life, there would be no investigation.
The merchants get the insurance money, I sell the goods on the black market and we all make out, shall I say it...like bandits."

The Half-Orc, while keeping his hands raised, starts to move back from the confrontation.

Well then...what to do now? Xaokun nor any of her associates will admit to wrong doing. Neither will I give away my contacts, so why don't we all just go our separate ways? I suggest you do so quickly.

[Anea]

Sigurd was disgusted with the whole affair. Not proper merchants, these men are. They hardly deserve the pieces of leather on their backs! Needless to say, I will never work for no good swine like this ever again. Half angry at the orcs for ruining his day and half angry at the merchants for hiring the orcs, Sigurd placed his craghammer in his beltloop, spit at the ground infront of Roderick, and said, "Be gone with ya then! Leave us in peace and my hammer won't split open your skull. Take the dead, stinking, rotting corpses of your comrades with you." To add extra emphasis to his words, Sigurd gave the dead orc at his feet a swift kick to the head, causing the useless neck to break. Sigurd then bent down to the orc, removed it's clan totem, and then stood back up.

[Skryptik]

When Paelias lowers his blade, the orcs all lower their weapons. The archers drop down from there perch on the rocks and let their bows hit the ground and the last two guards sheathe their swords to carry their two dead comrades off the road.

Xaokun had been watching on the whole time with a look of utter displeasure. When the half orc lays out the accusation against her and her associates, she half growls with a feral intensity. Throwing the reins down and standing up from where she sits on the lead wagon, "I expected as much. Never did trust this so called Coalition of Tradefolk, no better than a danged guild of thieves."

The caravan master glowers a look back across the faces on the other wagons, taking a good long moment to think about what she was going to do about this. Finally, she nods - more to herself than anything - and pipes up once more in a commanding tone.

"All right, listen up. This here is no time and place to be rooting out snakes in the grass. We're already losing time and money just sitting here getting things sorted. As for you, poet," she points crookedly at Roderick. "Your coming with us whether you like it or not. My better sense agrees with the rogue, leave you here dead and be done with it. Makes life a lot simpler. Folks like me don't get the luxury of a simple life these days though. We're taking you along as our own little insurance. One, so you can't lead this lot up our backside when we least expect it. Two, when we get to Brighthaven you are going to tell me who exactly you're working with so I can decide what's to be done about it. Just to make things easier, I'll see you get your compensation one way or another."

She then turns to the rest of the wagon procession. "And let me tell you, there will be hell to pay for any of you who brought this on! This ain't business for the road so sit tight while you still can. Any funny ideas, I sic the means eladrin, referring to Paeliaskoada'dal on yas."

Turning back to Roderick as she returns to her seat. "Now, tell your men to sit on their hands and throw rocks at each other or something. We're moving on and you best get to walkin..." gesturing toward the front of the caravan. "Where I and my crew can keep an eye on you."

DM OOC Combat is Ended. I'm giving everyone 125 xp reward each - noting it on the chronicler as well. Insight checks where applicable: Also, a quick note on the Coalition of Tradefolk. This is common knowledge to all, further knowledge is given as per the streetwise skill and included in secret text with insight checks. The Coalition of Tradefolk: Often referred to as simply "The Coaliton", this is the guild of merchants, tradesfolk, shopkeepers and laborers of Freeport that operates solely to ensure fair trade and protection for it's members. Their largest efforts are toward the negotiation of reasonable taxation enforced by the Freeport militia, everything from property taxes on buildings used for business purposes and commercial tax for the everyday buying and selling of goods. They keep the militia from dipping too deep in the merchant's pockets.

[X-Codes]

Status HP: 24 (+4)/28 Healing Surges: 9/10 Action Points: 1 Encounter Powers Used: None Daily Powers Used: None

Loric grimaces as Xaokun pulls the plug on his ploy to oust the charlatan now. She was right, however, that there wouldn't be any trouble from the orcs so long as Roderick was with them. It was also likely that whatever other tricks the merchant looking to betray them would pull would fail. Of course, that assumes that they muster up the courage after seeing the fearsome koada'dal in action. Loric gives a quiet laugh at that one. He amuses himself by composing a song in his head suitable for such a fearsome being.

[realbrit70]

Wiping the orc blood off his dagger, Paelias returns it to its sheath. Eyeing the half orc coldly he walks over to Sigurd and Healklyr, ignoring the rest of the orcish activity. "Keep an eye on the merchant who took the skins and the one who has shadowed Xaokun from the start," he whispers to them. "My gut and their reactions tell me they had knowledge of this attack."

Paelias continues forward to take his normal place at the front of the wagon train grinning at Sariel and exchanging knowing glances with Loric on the way.

[Bookfiend7]

"I noticed their reactions and I agree with your conclusion to a point, let's not forget our orc friend is a little dramatic," Sariel whispers as Paelias walks past. After he went past Sariel looked at the edge of the cliff and shivered slightly, Oh gods I hate heights.

[Qerps]

Healklyr gave Paelias a simple nod as a reply to whispers in his ears, not looking aside as he walked with him towards the front of the caravan. He would keep an eye on all merchants if he could. As far as he was concerned, they could all have been behind this and just because he did not like someone, he was not going to make the mistake to assume that was the culprit. [b]“Stealing your own stuff and getting paid twice.”[b] He grinned at Roderick. “The most clever idea I’ve seen since I came to the surface. I might actually like it if it wouldn’t hurt my purse.” The smirking face below the dark hood told that he liked it anyway.

The Drow briefly wondered if Xaokun – not being the owner of any of the wagons – had something to ensure. If she were the one behind this, it would truly make things beautiful. Collect a fee for starting the caravan, get some of the content of the wagons for free by stealing them, collect the insurance and pay less for the guards. Better even, if things went wrong like now she could bring her associate to Brighthaven, get a false confession, blame another merchant and ask for compensation for the trouble they put them trough. He grinned widely at the thought.

“But on a different matter. You mentioned one Kizdean Gix?” He looked at Roderick again. “I don’t know if you just threw that name out because I’m a Drow too, but if you hoped to find a friendly face I’d have to disappoint you, because I only heard about him. Never met him in person. Still, I heard had a gang of thugs and hung around in these parts, so I am interested in what you might know about the man, if only because it could augment our chances of survival further down the road.” He left a brief pause to put a little more weight in his next words. “And that includes you too now.”

[Anea]

Sigurd listened to Healklyr's logic and reasoning with Roderick. After the drow's last comment, Sigurd said, "Guess what that makes you, maggot. Our brand-spanking new meatshield, that's what." With a last glare at the half-orc, the dwarf repositions himself in front of the caravan, ready to head out on the wagon master's orders.

[Hyregoth]

A hearty chuckle issues from Roderick's toothy maw:

"Oh, I'm not looking for any friendly faces. Not in this crowd. No, Mr. Gix is kind of a legend in these parts. His gang are not thugs and Kizdean keeps his own council on the purposes of his little operations. But, I do know that he has a lot of valuable information and I know how to find him."

Picking up his weapons and causing his wounds to close, the Bard saunters over next to Sigurd. With arms swinging gaily, he adusts his feathered hat to a jaunty angle and starts to whistle a marching tune.

Very well then, I'll be happy to walk beside you master Dwarf. Though I suppose going arm in arm is out of the question?

[Anea]

Sigurd crackes his knuckles and shakes his fist in front of the ugly, smart*** half-orc with obvious fury on his face and in his body language. "You keep talking, I keep punching maggot. Now shut yur slim hole while we walk. I did not have you stand here to enjoy your company." Sigurd let out a heavy sigh as he looked away towards the caravan.

ooc I'm not sure if I have to roll anything for that punch cuz Sigurd isn't trying to actually hurt Roderick, more of just give him a wake up call by knocking him down. If I do need to roll, let me know and I will.

EDIT:

ooc For simplicities sake, let's just say Sigurd doesn't throw a punch yet, cuz rolling all that would bog down the game and I think everyone is ready to move on.

[Skryptik]

DM OOC It is considered an attack so it would need to have an unarmed roll provided against AC. Even though you intend to deal no damage, I'd have to throw the rules out the window for you to knock him down at whim. I do appreciate you rping the dwarven anger for orcs and particularly this predicament well but Roderick isn't hapless and defenseless. You can't expect him to crumple at a punch or hostile act without defending himself. So we have to enter mechanics. If this stands, Roderick needs to make an insight check against your initiative. If he beats it, the punch is dodged point of fact. If he fails, your roll needs to be above his AC to deal damage, otherwise it is merely a blow to his leg that does not knock him down nor does any damage.

[Hyregoth]

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