[Game Thread] Chapter 1: There Is No Honour

[Barark]

Herb appears at the doorway by the stairs, He looks to the dead saliors wanting to loot them yet he heads to Hubris first, "wat ya wanna do with him?" Herb sees he is badly wounded, yet there is not much he can do. "Ya gunna need doc and a bottle o'rum. we could try an move him but we might jus hurt em more. Mebbe leave him here with sumone an wait for him to wake, then catch up later" Herb tries to advise Hubris.

[Redoak]

"I am untrained at treating the injured, but I can stay with him and guard him and the Lady Vanderborans ship." Hubris offers, the stress on his face slowly leaving as he processes the assault in his mind. These people were criminals, and they did mean them all violent harm. That much is undoubtedly true. As he tries to mentally justify his involvement in mass murder, he taps out a Wee-Jasian tune on his quarterstaff. He stops mid tap, and remembers his gear.
"If I am to stay with Boar and the ship, could you grab my gear and robe out of the rowboat for me please Herb?" he asks politely.

[Barark]

"aye i can do that, you are a nice folk," Herb heads back to the stairs picking his way throught the mess so as not to get dirty, once up the stairs he passes the others and grabs Hubris' stuff from the rowboat. "Hubris is gunna stay here and guard the ship and watch the Boar." Not waiting for a reply he heads down stairs again dropping the robe but grabing it and dusting it off again, into the mess again he hold the stuff high so it doesn't drag in the mess, Herb almost looks to be making a good attempt at being carful. Handing the stuff Hubris wanted to Hubris he checks the fallen foes for loot and wanders through the rest of the boat.

[Redoak]

"Thank you Herb." the grateful Hubris slips his robe on, gooseflesh having started to show on his bare skin. Then clearing an area around Boar, he begins daubing the dried blood off of the dwarfs pale flesh. "Did you discover any provision on board yet Herb? He may wake while your gone and require food and water." the young nobleman asks.

[Askaran]

"It cant be that hard to move a boat a hundred feet, eh? Why not just go to dock and lower the gangplank?" Kevot looks between the looting Herb and Hubris as he walks back down to the lower deck, taking up position against a wooden wall, arms crossing over his chest.

[HarpyBane]

"Aye rogue, think we can take the ship in tonight? Or should I come back out tomorrow with a real sailor." Jules shouts down the hatch to the lower levels, now fully clothed once more. "Listen mage, he'll be okay. Just make sure he doesn't start bleeding again, that dwarf is plenty strong."

[Redoak]

"Jules I took the time to learn your name and use it, can you please do me the respect of returning the favor." the ice in Hubris' request is punctuated by forced eye contact with Jules, unblinkingly staring at the man. Perhaps having reached the limit of what he is willing to abide in his new "friends".

[Barark]

"Sure i can, i prob cooda done it meself but i'll let you help, might attract a bita attention though, maybe from the wrong kinda folk." Herb is slightly more knowledgable than you would expect. "Prob safer for everyone to just leave the boat ere." Herb heads off to search the lower rooms.

[HarpyBane]

"Excuse me, master Hubris." he turns his attention back towards Herb, You would know all about that kind of attention, but having a boat just sitting out in the harbor doing nothing, going nowhere will also attract attention. It'll probably be better to deal with the watch now, rather than try to explain why we waited later...not to mention our ailing companion down there would do better on dry land."

[Askaran]

Kevot simply nods his head in agreement with Jules, "We have the documents, and Soller was known as a criminal.." With that the archer looks back to Hubris and Boar, expression neutral, eyes assessing. "It would not be hard to prove our innocence."

[Avelestar]

Checking the last few rooms below decks show a bloody mess of feathers and blood, along with another decimated human corpse. All the cages are torn open, the occupants dead or missing, whilst an unlit torch still smoulders slightly in a puddle of blood. One very large cage, has its door torn off the hinges, presumably that of the rhagodessa.

Moving on, the next room contains a few barrels of water, and crates of dry sailors biscuits. Hubris brings a small cup of water, and some food for Boar, to give to the dwarf when he wakes up. Not long after this, you hear heavy footsteps, and those still on deck see three men in guard uniform striding towards them. "What in the hells was that screaming? It sounded like you had a dragon on here or something." They also look at the corpse of Soller and his men, frowning slightly. Everyone in this district knows who Soller is, and of his reputation...the guard don't comment just yet, but you can see they have many questions.

OOC: Just get through this scene, then Boar can wake up, and you can all head off to Laviana

[Askaran]

Kevot looks slowly around first to Hubris as hes the one who takes the most to talking before looking to the guards, presumably the one who is their superior, "We came on official business of Lady Lavinia, we approached the man in peace but as soon as we made our intentions clear he ordered us dead.. We had no choice but to defend ourselves and in a last ditch effort to save themselves or destroy the evidence of their undoubtedly illegal cargo they let loose that beast and it promptly ripped them to shreds and nearly did the same to us.." With that Kevot offers a faint inclination of his head towards the Rhagodessa broken corpse before looking back to the guards, arms crossing over his chest, away from his weapons.

OOC If that requires a diplomacy check ill roll one.. with my +0 bonus and all

[HarpyBane]

Jules bows respectably before the guard captain. A Rhagodessa. We were sent to investigate a ship under the ownership of a Miss Vanderboran. We got here, and found it broken free. Jules bows again. Soller and his men attempted to kill us after we stumbled upon this smuggling band.

[Avelestar]

The captain nods, seeming to believe you and agree. "Well, that's a fairly good explanation if I do say so. Soller has been a pain in our sides for so long...too bad the old harbourmaster doesn't have anyone to pass his job onto." He does however look at Herb, and the bag of money at his feet. "You wouldn't be doing a little bit of looting whilst you're here are you?" The lot of you know that this is more than likely the money Laviana paid Soller to get her ship back, and he hid it and lied about receiving it to his boss.

[Redoak]

Watching the others to see if they would try and lie or show themselves to be the callous villian's he had started to feel they were, he see's the truth coming out.
Perhaps they were shocked and scared by events as well, and merely are unable to show it..so they act rude and inhumane to cover it
Coming to the defense of the others Hubris' rises from Boars slumbering injured form.
"We certainly are not Captain, I am Hubris Rathanoire." he states as he shows his noble signet ring and pulls out the Lady Vanderborans letter of consent.
"This letter gives us the right to act in the Ladies interest, the man known as Soller Vark had extorted fees' and failed to deliver services. He then demanded another fee, and convinced an overworked dock-master that this was the truth."

"We came aboard cautiously and when we revealed ourselves to be agents of the Lady, and our intent to bring the matter to the Dawn Council if he continued to refuse her legal rights. The villian did as Kevot here states, he ordered his men to attack and kill us in plain language." pointing at the slain beast and Boar.
"The rest of the story is as they say as well, and while I did not see Goodman Herb here gather these items. I believe they are the Ladies property, and we are required by legal contract to deliver them to her this very night."


Waiting for the Captain to read the letter and verify the legality of his companions actions, Hubris returns to Boars' side.