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Mikal

He peers carefully into and around the area looking to see if there is a path to the girl that can be taken with cover. He also carefully counts the exact number of lizard things and their positions.

[[see the link in the OOC thread for exact count of baddies and where they are!]]

Cesare

They need a plan. To do that they need to talk but not this close. He gestures to Mikal & Kadri to move back as he turns and quietly starts to backtrack.

Mikal

He takes one last look at the scene, memorizing the positions of everyone in the room, and then quietly moves back into the hallway with Kadri, Bekkah, and Cesare, keeping Rory from peering into the room if possible.

He has an idea, but it is sort of a 'last resort' kind of thing, so he listens to Cesare first.

Cesare

Once they are out of earshot, he confers quietly with the others.

"That disc comes from the East, well at lease that is the writing on it. Doubt the others come from there though, more likely they found this place and made it their HQ. Is the young lad a leader?"

He turns to Rory.

"Wondered if you might recognise the lad."

He describes him as best he can.

"We need to try to separate them if we can. Can't take them all at once, too many. Maybe a noise that one or two might investigate?"

Mikal

He listens to Cesare. **Much as I was thinking.** Then shakes his head. "I took him to be a simple guard, left by the fisher folk to watch the girl and make sure the Lizards didn't eat her if they got hungry."

But he pauses to hear if Rory knows who it is. It's a small town after all and everybody probably knows everybody.

At Cesare's final comment he sighs and looks to Kadri and Cesare.

"How quiet can you two be?"

Kadri:

She gives Mikal a LOOK, one eyebrow gracefully raised.

"Seriously, Mikal - you are asking ME if I can be quiet and sneaky? This is a question?"

She grins widely.

"As a child. I was known for being late for dinner ... While I was already sitting there eating it."

Cesare

Still waiting for Rory to think through the description, he responds to Mikal.

"OK.. probably not as good as Kadri."

Mikal

He looks at Rory, while waiting for him to reply if he knows the young man and ask him. "Do you know how to use a crossbow?" He indicates his own crossbow on his back that he hasn't used yet.

(OOC - Wolf - Is the map showing the complete room? IOW we see walls on all sides and there is no open space to the right or other exits anywhere?)

Rory

"Me ... a crossbow? Cor lad, the most dangerous thing ah ever held was the family carvin' knife ..."

[[OOC notes - there are two openings .... a small one leading east (up), next to the lunching lizard and the whole "width" of the "street" to the south (right).

Last, i have been hit by a ton of work this weekend; on the other hand it looks like you folks are still trying to formulate a plan! ]]

The Heartwood
Talesan’s Village
Under the Docks
Hasday, the Twelfth Day of Scholar

Cesare, Kadri, Mikal, Bekkah and Rory

There were several things that had been discerned, there in the strange shrine beneath Talesan’s Village.

First, that Rory was indeed a farmer; while he might know how to wield a pitchfork or a hoe, he had never used a crossbow before.

“ … I mean, isn’t that what the Knight and Squire are for?”

Which, of course raised the obvious question. Where was the Knight and the Squires? They were not in the Village this morning; they had been summoned to an altercation at the most eastern homes of Talesan’s Village, up by the Bridge on the Highland Path over the Blackwater.

Very and perhaps even too convenient. That couldn’t have worked out better for the Fisherfolk than if it had been planned.

Second, that of course Kadri could sneak. Especially here, with all the little lamp lights; there were shadows small and large across the halls and shadows were her playground.

And third …

Third was the size of the hall. It was large enough for a congregation of Fisherfolk. Large enough to hold the crew of several fishing boats, and their families.

At the moment they had but one disgruntled fisherlad and his entourage of lizard things to handle. But time was not their friend. The girl had been brought and chained here for a reason, otherwise they would have dealt with her and not held her shackled o the wall.

Eventually the congregation will return. There would be more, more fisherfolks, and the ship crews were probably more skilled than a lad left to keep an eye on less than intelligent lizard-things.

This was their chance.

Mikal

**Oh well.** He thinks. **It'd have been nice to have another pair of hands.** But if Rory can't handle a crossbow, perhaps he can use a club to help defend Bekkah.

Turning to those around him he lays out his plan.

"Kadri, you enter the room and sneak around the pillars to the right. Circle around until you reach the girl. In the meantime, Cesare and I will fire our crossbows. First we'll take out the fisherman and then we'll fire at that lone lizard on the right that's eating to try to draw him towards us here or kill him to clear your path as you circle behind him."

"Hopefully, by the time you reach the girl the fisherman will be dead and you can free her from her ropes and then try to lead her back the way you came."

"After Cesare and I fire perhaps 2 or 3 bolts each, I expect we'll have all the lizards charging us. If we're lucky the one eating will be dead by then."

"I will enter the room, put my back to a pillar and draw them to me." He pauses. "Believe me, I can make myself noticed" He smiles softly. "You sneak around behind me and out, back the way we came. Cesare can continue to shoot at long as possible."

"Rory, you will stay here and defend Bekkah as best you can just in case."

"Before we start, I need to cast a spell on us all. It will help in the fighting."

(OOC - OK, Wolf, in English here it is. It's a bit complicated so I wanted to lay it out. Let me know if any of this stuff doesn't "stack":
1 - Mikal will cast "Morale" on the whole group. This whole room should easily be within the area of effect.
2 - He will cast "Harden" on himself (total of 4 points from his own magic store and from the sword)
3 - He will cast "Weapon Blessing" (2 pts) on his Darksteel Short Sword
4 - He will cast "Strike" (1 pt) on his short sword
5 - He and Ceasare will fire at the fisherman guarding the girl until he's dead then will fire at the lizard to the right that's eating until it's dead or the lizards charge.
6 - Once the lizards close, he will sling his crossbow and draw his short sword and main gauche and cast "Blaze" (3 pts) on the sword.
7 - Now carrying a flaming sword he will step forward and find a pillar further into the room to put his back to and challenge the whole group to combat.
8- This should allow Cesare to fire from behind, at the entrance of the room to help cover Kadri, in case any of them split off from Mikal, and for Kadri to lead the girl around the edges of the room and out while Mikal has the attention of all the lizards.
9 - He is saving "Slipperiness" (2 pts) and will use it if his sword gets stuck as well as saving "Rend" (1 pt) to add punch to one of his hits.
10 - And, yes, he knows if he doesn't kill all the lizards it could be a suicide mission, which is why he's using all his magic.

Comments?)

(Waiting for his answer before deciding on my list)

(OOC - I actually had this plan for a while, but was hoping somebody else might come up with something better than Mikal standing alone in the room with a flaming sword and magical protection taking on a dozen lizards in single combat to cover the escape of the girl and his friends. It's either worthy of a Bard's tale and something that will have Jvrillian's flocking to his troop, presuming he survives it, or a suicide mission. )

OOC:
Item the First, Aryllis cloak. I think this qualifies as not frivolous by a long shot.

Item the second, Darksword for obvious reasons just in case combat ensues.

Vision ahead of time to scout for the other direction to make sure the best, quickest, most hidden path is available.

Dullard for distractions as needed.

[OOC Cesare also has 'Harden' and will use it. Remind me, what is Ironhand?]

[OK not planning on that with these beasties ]

Cesare

He nods signifying his understanding but he is unlikely to abandon Mikal as easily as the man might think. He loads his crossbow, checks his gear and casts Harden.

The Heartwood
Talesan’s Village
Under the Docks
Hasday, the Twelfth Day of Scholar

Cesare, Kadri, Mikal, Bekkah and Rory

When sellswords and guardsmen gather round a tavern table, deep into the night, exchanging tales of battle, the stories tend to fall into traditional patterns. The valiant last stand. Hold on one heartbeat longer … which often lead to the cavalry arriving at the very last moment. The hero against insurmountable odds.

For the fisher lad, his tale fell too into a traditional pattern, a sudden and inescapable fate:

He didn’t stand a chance.

The lad wasn’t wearing any armor, his watch had past he point of monotony into disgruntlement and he had no idea at all that unseen, in the shadows, two crossbows were leveled at him. Both Cesare and Mikal had crept up, moving very slowly to the edge of the last row of columns. They had to move slow, to keep from splashing.

Kadri had taken the longer way around, not that anyone could tell. It was almost as if she had faded into the shadows, vanished into the darkness, almost like … no, exactly like she had been swept beneath a cloak of over-protective darkness.

She did, however, feel a light rap on the very top of her head, like a child being scolded by an elder sister.

… took you long enough!

The two crossbows fired as if one. Cesare’s. however, fell low, splashing into the water a handful of inches away from the lad. The lad, however, did not notice. His attention was focused on the quarrel that was deep between his ribs. Mikal’s shot had hit him square in the chest, burying itself into the boy in a full depth impalement. He took one step forward, then a second, but even by that second step he was already collapsing forward. He ended with a face first splash into the shallow water and then just lay there.

He didn’t even twitch.

The lizards, they stood a bit straighter. It was a strange curiosity, not understanding what had happened to their overseer. The closest ones took a step forward but it was hard to tell if they were warily alarmed or trying do decide if they could now eat him.

Which is probably why the one in the far right corner simply continued to munch upon his bone.

Mikal must have had Jvrill’s favor this lat morning – was it still morning? When he turned to clear the path for Kadri his second shot was as true as the first. The only difference being that the lizard-thing wore armor. His quarrel slammed home with a mighty whunk, the sound echoing across the shrine.

The lizard-thing looked down at his own chest. He tried to pull the quarrel out, treating it as if it were a stupid water bug. Maybe he could eat it. But when it would not come out he growled, nasty and annoyed, looking about the room to see if he could see who had done this too him.

Which was a mistake.

Because that meant Cesare’s bolt hit him soundly in the head. There was nothing special about the shot; it was just a competent and sure strike. That it speared the Liard-thing’s green eye, sending a splash of ichor star bursting out like a popped bladder was what made the difference. The ugly thing screamed, tossing its head back as it tried to tear at the quarrel with its lizardy claws. It fell over backwards in a horrendous splash. And while it did not pursue it did thrash horribly in place and did not seem to be stopping any time soon.

This definitely attracted the malevolent attention of the other guards. Three of them, at the least. The one in the far far left corner, that one only took a few steps from his post, just enough to see the developing melee. He seemed torn, trying to decide whether or not to join his companions or to continue guarding what ever it was he had been tasked to protect.

The two with the swords and shields were the first to reach Mikal, forcing him back against one of the tall stone columns. They were also the first to jump nimbly back when his sword burst into flame! That did perturb them greatly; if they got close enough to hit Mikal it meant that he would be close enough to hit them with a black flamey poking thing! For a moment, a handful of heartbeats, it was an oddly and darkly silly stalemate. They waved their swords at Mikal but refused to close.

The stalemate was resolved by the third lizard thing driving forward with his vicious and very very long makeshift great sword-cleaver. There was nothing Mikal could do but parry; it was simple physics - the longer weapon got the first strike. And strike it did, a wide arc that cut through armor and flesh to leave a near fatal wound across the Jvrillian’s belly. Mikal had tried to parry, but his luck had run out.

That attack must have weakened his return strike; while the lizard winced and lurched to the side the only visible effect was a very huge dent in the piece of rusted steel strapped to its leg.

Mikal was still standing. He could still fight.

But he knew two things.

First, he knew could not afford to take a second blow like that.

Second, he knew that he would not be standing now if it wasn’t for the preparations and protections he had made before stepping into the fight.

All this, however, gave Kadri the opportunity to get to the kidnapped girl. Only to discover that her deity did have a very odd sense of humor. Kadri was cloaked in her Lady’s protection, a mysterious and mischievous swirl of twilight, grey and black. Her dagger was not to be seen, so as far as Dyddplenyn could tell her bindings were invisibly lifted and shorn.

So she did what any scared little girl would do.

“MAAAAAAA! FAAAAAAAA!”

Dyydd cried out in panic, sruggling to run away.

Because now, as far as she could tell, now, after being kidnapped by fisherfolk and thrown into the company of lizard-things, she was now being stolen by the shadows!

Which, of course, started Rory running forward!



The Shrine of the Shark God

Kadri:

She speaks in gentle and quiet tones to her.

"Shh, Dyydd. I am Kadri, remember? The weird little one from the Amber Inn with the pretty little horse? How would you like me to take you to see your Fa?"

Cesare

It is all happening too quickly. In his head he knows that the child is the most important, then her father then his companions but he cannot help but be drawn to protect Mikal. They had been together a long time, fought together, worked together, trained together.

But going in against 3 of them would not likely help Mikal. Maybe he can distract them. The creature with the long weapon is obviously the biggest threat. He fires his crossbow at him, then dances backwards, yelling at them.

"Ya big clumsy cowards, think you can take me then?"

Bekkah

She had moved up some, staying back from the others. She wanted to be able to see the fight when it happened. And when Mikal was struck with a mighty blow she started forward.

*And this is why.* she thought knowing she had to get to him and that she couldn't wait for the fight to be over because unless Mikal could fight again, it was only going to end one way.

When Cesare started the distraction, she moved behind Cesare, boots and skirts soaked now.

"Take a step back Mikal." she said as she began calling upon her Lady's blessing.

If he didn't comply, she'd rush even closer. Either way, she reached up and touched the back of his neck where she knew he'd have no armor. As soon as she did, the power from her Lady flowed through her into his body. The wound closed, the blood loss was gone and he was ready again.

"I probably can't do that again so be careful." she said stepping back nimbly.

[ooc: Let me know what she'd have left.]

Mikal

**So far so good** He thinks with a grim mental chuckle and a vocal groan at the solid blow that hit his midsection.

He knows he can't take another hit like that, but he has to depend on his companions to do the right thing and not try to do everything himself, or he will fall.

**Of course the right thing for them is to flee as fast as they can while I keep these things engaged.** But somehow he knows they won't abandon him here. just as he would not abandon them.

So rather than use his own healing, no matter how much his mind is shouting at him to do so, he depends on Bekkah to help him. He is reassured as he hears her voice approaching, asking him to try to move close.

**This will be close. I need to do this exactly, just so.**

He knows the one with the long weapon is the most dangerous, and he has to close with it, and fast, so he can get inside it's reach where it cannot effectively use it's blade.

So, he takes a step back, feinting a move around the pillar, as if he intends to run behind it for cover, trying to draw the long-weaponed one to take a step closer.

It also brings him closer to Bekkah.

As soon he he feels her touch, he pivots and charges back, sword leading like a spear of flame, Main Gauche held slightly higher just in case a parry is needed. His intent is to get inside the brute's weapon arc and gut it.

For added punch, he expends his Rend spell at the same time.

The Heartwood
Talesan’s Village
Under the Docks
Hasday, the Twelfth Day of Scholar

Cesare, Kadri, Mikal, Bekkah and Rory

Things certainly began on an auspicious note; both lizard-things and those trying to rescue Ddyddplentyn were almost blinded by the sudden flash of whit power that most certainly overwhelmed the paltry lamplight.

Bekkah had moved forward, quickly rushing through he shallow water until she could invoke her Lady’s power. It was the touch that brought forth the bright and sudden starburst. This was no common magic, the Priestess had summoned forth the power of her goddess; for Mikal all hurts were banished, all wounds healed, it was as if he was starting this combat anew.

Being a divine touch, this cost Bekkah no strength at all – it just meant she could not call on this power again; at least not until they had left this place, rescued the girl, and in the Cathedral above prayed for her lady to grant her this power once more.

From there, however, the conflict degenerated into asset of mixed bag results.

Cesare’s shot went wide, sailing down the center of the shrine and while it did hit it hit the black metal disc at the far end of the room. It bounced off and landed in the water with a splash, not even leaving a scratch upon the sigil.

His taunting, however, managed to pull two of the lizard-things away from Mikal. The problem, of course, was that they were now focused on the Rhoni! Backpedal as he might, it did not help that he big creatures were also fast; this watery place was ere they lived, after all. One got close enough to take a wipe at him; luckily the lizard-thing swung too soon and missed.

This left Mikal facing off with the cleaver armed guard. There first blows sent the sound of steel against metal echoing between the hard stone columns. His attack had certainly thrown the lizard-thing off its form, the hit not even denting the Jvrillian’s armor. Mikal’s blow returned the favor from the previous melee; it was his turn to open up the beast, darksteel slashing through leg armor and upper high, leaving a trail of thick black blood in its wake.

It paused, it gave Mikal an angry, glare, and growled loudly.

And they both attacked. This time it was Mikal’s turn to just dent armor and the lizard –thing missed completely. The beast missed a second time but Mikal’s blow slammed straight in, the shortsword buried almost to the hilt. Indeed it was only the unique magics cast on the blade in Bordertown that allowed him to pull it from the lizard-things chest. And when he did it caused a fountain of blood, spraying out as the big creature fell to its knees. It should be dead, but it wasn’t. Not quite. Not yet.

All it could do now, it seemed was crawl-hobble in water. It was now slow and for Mikal, its arms and tail would be easy to keep out of each.

“Stranger lady?”

Ddydd blinked, all wide eyed.

“Bu you are all shadowy!”

But she also hugged, latching herself tight to Kadri’s skirts.

This was going to make moving a challenge, let alone sneak!


The Shrine of the Shark God