Menaria pales slightly, "The woman with the animals... she's been attacked! We must hurry to her aide!" Korg raises an eyebrow, as if in slight confusion. "Why?" He finishes his breakfast with a gulp and stands up, adjusting the greatsword across his back. "Oh, nevermind," he rumbles before anyone has a chance to object to his apparent apathy. "There's probably going to be a good brawl in it. Let's go." Walker seems to agree with Korg on this, not having any hesitations about the upcoming battle, but instead seeming to look forward to it in itself. Sheathing his scimitar. Tana nods in agreement with the pair, "It seems that we are about to join a battle glorious. Menaria, if you would but lead us to the area of encounter, we resolve to follow." "I am not a tracker and know not where to go... unless we follow those guards..." (ooc: that is if she spies them) "There is obviously something amiss that has gotten their attention riled up." She will head after the rushing guards. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back in his room in the inn, Segev gathers his remaining belongings. As he checks out, returning the key to room 112, he thanks the gnoll behind the bar. "Your accomodations were exactly what I required. I will probably visit your establishment in the future." He pushes a cold coin over and above the already-made payment for the room to the gnoll, and makes his way out to the stables. In the stables, he checks over the horse he is borrowing from Lannstucht. Finding it in good shape, he calls over the stableboy he'd told to take care of it. Though he does not smile at the lad, his voice is slightly less cold than usual (if still raspy and tired from the day's ritual) as he folds a small coin pouch into the boy's hand. "You have done well. Be careful how you spend your earnings; I would not see you lose them to those who did not work so hard as you for them." When the mage and his brightly armored servent in all-concealing Crusader full- plate have lead the horse from the stables, the boy thinks to look in the coin pouch. There are eight silver pieces in it. Initially heading towards the Midnight Mushroom to look for his companions, word of a pack of wild dogs loose in the city combined with rumors of a monster that was unharmed when struck a dozen mighty blows from the city watch (rumors and how they get bigger with retelling - don't you love 'em?) lead him to search for Kyran, at least, near the docks. Hopefully, he'll encounter someone he knows either on his way there, or when he gets there. "Subtle" hardly describes Segev and his companion as they search for the others. The necromancer is in his habitual black robes with heavy book dangling from a short chain attached to his belt. His compainion is completely encased in the cleanest, most well-polished set of full plate imagineable, carrying a longsword and a shiled. The sword and armor seem to be a matched set, both bearing the marks of a Crusader of Yohevone`, while the shield seems a touch mismatched, being a somewhat plainer item. The armored individual is leading a powerful- looking horse by the reigns. The horse's tack bears markings of the same god as the Crusader's armor. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The ship is 130 feet long, 20 feet wide, has three masts and seventy oars on either side, and a raised aft deck. On the aft deck sits a stone structure with a single door, and windows are visible near the back. A door is apparent heading down under the aft deck. The gangplank heads from the docks to midship on its port side. Everyone except Korg remembers that the listed crew of a ship of this size and arrangement is around 200. Two city guards are patrolling the docks well within sight of the ship, and two others are standing guard on the dock side of the gangplank. Drakar has seen some coinage pass between the ship and all four of the city guards. Of the *visible* crew of the ship, there is an archer standing on top of the stone structure and one near the front of the ship; both are armed with what appear to be composite longbows. Two swordsmen stand guard near the gangplank, a third is walking up and down the deck of the ship, as are two additional archers. Beside each of the two stationary archers stands an unarmored person, presumably wizards or sorcerers. One additional person is manning a crow's nest atop the middle mast, and from time to time a group of six crewmen carrying crossbows and longswords appear. The ship is tied to the dock at both ends, and at three spots along the port side. Across the dock is a similar ship with similar visible protections, except that the city guards aren't standing at the foot of their gangplank. The docks are 30 ft. wide, and are littered with 5 x 5 x 5 ft. crates, some stacked two to three high, which alternately block the party's view of the ship and provide them some cover. Kyran is carefully looking at the ship when Ananzi and Lannstucht catch up. "Good! It's glad to see help has arrived. I hope that little display didn't delay you too much. I've got Katrina's scent, and it leads aboard that ship, of that I am certain." He looks at the setting sun. "It'd best to wait for dark so we can get in undetected. Maybe you can see if the ship leaves before we can get aboard..." He mumbles to himself in Draconic... "Thric aesthyr virlym claxn shafaer *sauriv*..." Lannstucht swings easily down from Dunnstacht's height. "Dusk is scarcely far distant and the wait would be of benefit if it is managable. I will inquire discretely at the Harbourmaster's." She turns on her heel and strides off purposefully. Kyran looks up at Lannstucht and nods. "Then I will act at dusk." He looks up at the sky, viewing the sun's position. "I, um, have an errand to run. I shall return shortly, and hopefully with friends." With that, Kyran wanders off to the wizard's shop to retrieve his shield. As Kyran turns to go, Drakar claps him on the shoulder to gain his attention. "You did well in waiting though you were the first to arrive here, it is a mark of wisdom to not charge in when battle calls to you. I would ask you a favor, if you could run out to my camp and bring Narush here when dusk falls. You have some idea how to navigate a town as a wolf without being seen, and I fear the townsfolk and guards would not be happy to see an armored dire wolf running throught their town. If you would do that, I will remain here and await the others arrival while I keep track of the comings and goings from the ship." "One thing more Kyran. If it is not presumptuous of me, I believe you show great promise as a ranger. If that is the course your heart desires, I would be willing to teach what I know." Kyran smiles. "Perhaps I can find a way for Narush to get into the city. It'll be difficult, though. You know how easy it is to spot him if he's not careful, do you not? Regardless, the townsfolk and guards are most fearful of wolves." He looks about carefully to make sure there are no prying ears, and says quietly. "Even attacked me unprovoked, so getting Narush in may not be a wise idea, that it may not be." He thinks on Drakar's offer. "I'd be glad to learn what you can teach me. Knowledge is something we all can use more of. I warn that I don't take kindly to authority, however." He smiles and starts walking to pick up his shield again. "Like I said, I shall return shortly." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kyran, after retrieving his shield, slings it across his back and begins running through the streets. He skids to a halt in front of Menaria and company. He's not breathing terribly hard for someone who just ran at least three city blocks, but who's counting? "Ah, good, I found you! And you've brought the rest of our companions, that I see." He takes a few shallower breaths and starts walking along with the rest of the group. "A- Don't mind the guards. They're still a little riled up from an earlier incident involving a wolf... Anyways, Katrina got kidnapped, and she's on a boat by the harbor, of that I am sure. It's heavily guarded, though, so we may need to wait for nightfall before we make an attempt to rescue her..." Segev and his armored companion come out of a side street just as Kyran finishes speaking. Seeing Menaria and the others walking in his direction, he holds up a hand, and his companion stops; the horse stops when the armored individual leading it stops. It would be hard for those who accompanied him to this city not to recognize the armor his companion is wearing, though the rather plain, large steel shield it's carrying is new to them. He waits silently for the others to reach him, probably planning to fall in and accompany them where they're going. Kyran spies Segev and keeps leading Menaria and her possey. For the time being, he's ignoring Segev's companion, and Segev for the most part. He swiftly leads the group past Seg, expecting the necromancer to follow. The necromancer quietly falls in behind the group. His servant follows, leading the horse. Roland, or Walker, or whoever he may be, falls into step beside Segev, looking up to his new companion for a brief moment with a shrug. "I'd always thought that necromancers preferred a more dirtied look?" The strange elf follows the party from the Midnight Mushroom to the docks, making no attempt to stay out of sight. "I have always preferred cleanliness," replies Segev, evenly and quietly. "I dispise being dirty." He makes no comment about Roland's new style of dress, nor of his "reappearance" after having disappeared from the Baron's holdings. Eyeing Kyran, she nods but a worried look crosses her face. "Do we have until night fall though? Can you check the dock listing to see when the ship is schedule to depart? We can't risk it leaving with her." Kyran nods. "I know, which is why Lannstucht is checking right now, of that I am sure. It would have been poor judgement at best for me to attempt a rescue on my own. And even with so many, it seems we would be far too easy to detect if we attempted a rescue with this many. Why do people do this?.." Korg grunts slightly at that. "In numbers, heavily guarded is what?" he rumbles with a certain amount of disdain. "And if she is on a boat, it seems possible that it would *leave* between now and nightfall..." he continues. It's fairly clear that he'd rather just beat the hell out of any guards in the way and get things over with quickly, though perhaps not out of any interest in rescuing Katrina, per se. Kyran sighs to Korg. "I did not risk my neck just to watch you slaughter people. Let us try and keep actual death to a minimum, shall we?" Korg bristles slightly, growls, "I do not recall asking for you to lecture me, nor do I *particularily* care if you were careless enough to attract people's ire. I asked you what 'heavily guarded' is. To a cutpurse, it might be two guards with cudgels, to a raiding party, it might be a dozen mounted knights. Numbers would make it a useful statement." He pauses and adds, "You *DO* know how to count, right?" Kyran frowns at his companion's language. "To answer your question, then, it appeared to be a well-manned warship. As people don't trapese about the top of the ship all the time, an accurate count would be unlikely, and misleading information is worse than no information at all. I shall see that my efforts on caution will be spent on other people than you, as you seem to desire." Korg nods. "Thank you, that is far more useful," he remarks evenly, no trace of the scorn and irritation that colored his voice before. "That would seem unlikely to work in open combat, yes." The mysterious elf, after listening to various exchanges, approaches the female human, called by the others Menaria, "Forgive my intrusion, M’lady. I couldn't help but overhear of your troubles. I am called Ruathor and offer my assistance." Taken back by the question, but smiles warmly at the newcomer, her blue eyes slightly worried still due to the kidnapping. "Well met then Ruathor. We might just be able to use your help. I take it then you know the situation?" She pushes some of her black hair back over her shoulder. Segev strides forward rather quickly at this, sliding up to the front of the party. His servant, at a gesture from him, remains in its position towards the rear. The black-robed man narrows his cold eyes as he studies the remarkably forward elf. "Why would you offer your assistance?" His voice is cold, and pitched as if it were directed at a serf, or begger. "We do not know you, nor you us. Yet you follow us, and take an unusually personal interest in matters none of your concern. This behavior is unusual to say the least, especially for an elf. What is it you really wish from the priestess?" Kyran looks at the stranger curiously. "I am confused as well. There must be some motive that you have, or maybe a mission? Please give us more insight into your situation." Menaria sighs at her companions concern. Though she knows it is merit and also of what she has now been commissioned (so to speak) to do, her smile falters slightly. "I am sorry... we have been through alot and they're concern is warranted. Do you have some motive or are you like some of us then... concern for a fellow being?" Ruathor addresses the black-robed, arrogant human calmly and directly, "Indeed, you are correct, Student of Su’Kal. I know none of you and you know me not at all. But for one detail; This woman, he indicates Menaria, "was recently in a Vision granted me by the Oracle. In fact, now that I’ve made the connection... the rest of you are also in this Vision. I’m still trying to make sense of the meaning; however, I believe it concerns an object of apparent power with the ability to corrupt those it comes in contact with. Perhaps our meeting at the city gates was pre-ordained, Necromancer." At the elf's description of his vision, her creamy skin pales. "A vision from the Oracle you say...you didn't happen to see where this item was did you?" Her breath is short as she attempts to recover from her shock. "And perhaps you should go home. While you might follow around your dreams and such, we have business to attend to. Good day," speaks up Roland rather coldly. "No, M’Lady. I did not. However, I believe this item to be a spear in its final form--with apparently, at the least, the power to control weather at sea. Or so my vision showed me." Ruathor fixes eyes on Roland, and replies just as coldly with steel in his voice, "I go where I will, human." He returns his attention to Menaria. "I offer my assistance freely; take it or not, as you will." Ruathor noticebly and comfortably carries an ornate, composite long bow of elven craftsmanship, along with a long sword, also of exquisite elven manufacture. Menaria turns to Walker/Roland and eyes him strangely for a moment then her expression softens. "His vision could assist us in our goal. At least we should hear him out. Though I do not think this is the right place to discuss something like this." Kyran shakes his head and darts forward back for the docks. "I shall see you there. Please don't be long in comming." Segev's eyes narrow still further, and his companions just might recognize an expression rarely seen on the wizard's face: offense. "I am no god's student, Elf." With a visible effort, he drives the expression from his face, and his voice rises from the nearly inaudible rasp back to its normal coldly indifferent tones - though it still bears some hoarseness, as if tired from recent over-use. "Perhaps you should share this vision with us, if it concerns us so greatly." "I will share my vision with you...though, I'm yet unable to attach meaning to most of it. But I agree with Lady Menaria...now is not the time, here is not the place. What task awaits us here, now? Someone, perhaps one of your band, finds himself in trouble? On that vessel?" She nods, "Yes, she has been kidnapped and is presently being held against her will upon the ship." She then eyes the elf, her smile prominant upon her face once more. "I welcome your help. Your skill with the bow will surely come in handy. Shall we off to investigate?" She then turns to the others and nods as she then heads off to get a better look at the ship. Roland rolls his eyes at this. The elf even got to Segev. He presses on and follows Kyran for the ship, considering the current business a tad more important than ghost stories. Sliding back again, he nods once to Menaria. "As this is a quest most dear to you, Menaria, it is your choice whether to allow yet another stranger to join us in it. Perhaps, despite appearances, he will prove as useful as have the others. For now, however, I would see how my new bodyguard handles himself in combat, and I believe assisting the rescue of the half-elf girl would be an ideal venue to test his skills." With that, Segev extricates himself from the knot of people around Menaria and Ruathor, gestures to his Crusader-armor-wearing bodyguard, and heads after the others, towards the docks. The armored individual follows, leading the horse. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back at the docks, Drakar keeps watch quietly (either sitting in plain sight if there's a bar nearby or concealed somewhere within sight of the docks) taking a careful count of every man that comes into view on the ship and what arms they bear on a scrap of parchment beside him. He notes which individuals seem to be leaders, what their skill levels appear to be and relationships between the men and the city guards. Studying the ship, he considers all possible avenues of attack and stealth to board her and rescue Katrina, for whose predicament he now feels doubly responsible for. As Lannstucht enters the Dockmaster's office, looking very much like she should own the joint, she spots a listing of ships' berths and when they're scheduled to leave. A quick search indicates that the dock the ship Katrina's on isn't scheduled to leave until the next full weekly full moon; three nights hence. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- During the time after she awakens, Katrina struggles to free herself from her bonds, cursing all the while. Paia ducks her head, trying to rub the hood off the bars. All of Katrina's gear that she had on her (the chain shirt, greatsword, and spellbook, if I'm not mistaken, plus some other stuff) are laying in a pile near where she had been tied up, as is another chain shirt that looks to be made of mithril. A longsword and shield set also lay nearby. When she opens the door a crack, she's able to see the back of what looks to be a sturdy dwarf and an orc, who are chatting amiably about how much the sales in the marketplace tomorrow will net the crew. Katrina looks around the room quickly after freeing herself from her bonds, grabbing the mithral shirt and sliding it on with her breeches, and taking her greatsword in her hands. Standing quietly, she undoes the cage, freeing Paia. Hush. If we're careful we can get the jump on those bastards. The hawk responds with a mental affirmative, as Katrina eases open the door, peering through the crack. Noting the orc and dwarf, she allows Paia to climb to her shoulder and throws open the door, lunging to run her sword through the orc (Power attack) as Paia launches with a mighty thrust, aiming her deadly talons to try and bloody the dwarf's scalp. Paia digs into the dwarf's scalp...but does no appreciable damage. The orc is heavy damaged, and still unable to move with the sword sticking out of his chest; he walks forward to try and get loose. The dwarf turns and attemps to whack at her with the axe, cursing her for escaping. He misses wildly. Katrina swings at the orc again, bringing her sword around in an arc, still dripping blood and phglem from his lungs as she swings for his neck. The sword hits him in the chest, however, and he drops to the ground. Paia dives at the dwarf again, seeking to land and hold tight to the hollow at the back of his neck, biting down hard on the spinal cord if she reaches it. The dwarf tries to chop at Katrina with his axe, and misses. Katrina draws her sword from the orc in a clean jerk, using the momentum of the arc to slash at the dwarf's chest. Paia manages to dig in this time, and draws blood, but can't get the spine just yet... dwarves have thick skin, after all. The dwarf chops again, this time connecting on her side, drawing blood. Katrina staggers a bit from the blow, blood showing on her side, though fortunately, nothing vital was apparently hit, being sheilded by the mithral. Biting her lip, she swings again, as Paia hangs on as best she can as the dwarf moves, refusing to relinquish her "prey." As Katrina's sword swings for the dwarf's chest again, Paia lashes out with her beak, again seeking the spinal cord. Paia pecks at the back of the neck, but is more of an annoyance than anything else. The dwarf again tries to chop at Katrina, again connecting and dealing some damage. Katrina steps back, wincining as she chants the words and makes the motions to send magical bolts at the drawf's lower torso as Paiahacks away at the cut in the dwarf's flesh that her beak is making above the all important line of grey neural matter right below the surface. The magic missile impacts right on the dwarf's family jewels, causing him to hunch over in pain, clutching his groin. Katrina takes her sword in both hands again, and swings it upwards from the ground after stepping closer to the dwarf, coming in right between his legs as the hawk singlemindedly continues her mission. And he drops. Katrina calls to {aia, letting the hawk calm down and realize her work is done, as she lifts up his chin with her still bloody swordpoint. "Your friends. How many more?" "Ten..." "Where? Do they care so little that you die here, alone with no reinforcements?" "up... above... you'll never... get out..." Katrina touches the hawk's now calm mind again, and Paia launches up to land again on her shoulder. "We'll be seeing about that. Paia, call the others. It's time to swab the decks." She ducks back into the other room to shove everything into her pack, leaning the other sword on it, and heads quictly for the deck, leaving the dwarf with a hole in his throat where his voicebox used to be. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kyran looks at the ship and nods to Drakar. "We must act now. I did not have time to get Nerush, but we should not require his assistance... Explain how many there are while I prepare." Kyran begins to take off his extraneous clothing: in particular, his shoes. He also rips through the weak string that was holding the lower part of his pants to the area around his thighs, leaving his limbs bare. Sighing briefly after making sure nobody who would object is paying attention, he concentrates on his medallion and quickly changes shape. He grows black fur all over his body and leans forward. His face elongates into a more canine appearance, and his feet change in size to a more forward stance. Kyran's particular fur design is mostly black, with the silver streaks going from his muzzle to his eyes and back. Unsheathing his sword and equipping his shield, he looks over at Drakar for direction. Segev takes the horse from his servant, and ties it to a nearby hitching post. He then pulls out a tortise shell and performs a short incantation while he walks back over to where Drakar and the now-unsubtle Kyran are talking. "Hold still a bit, Kyran. You are too obvious like that." He smirks before continuing, "An invisible werewolf can get aboard a ship with less hue and cry, and cause more damage when he finally hits something." The wizard waits for Kyran to agree rather than immediately casting a spell on the boy. Kyran glances over at Segev somewhat warrily, then slowly nodding to the necromancer with a short growl. Lannstucht returns from the Harbourmaster's office in time to see the rest of the party bristling at each other. As she sighs in annoyance and opens her mouth to make an undoubtedly scathing comment, the call from Paia fills her mind. With a bitten-off curse, she comments, "It would seem that our rash friend has gone and done something foolish, rather than wait for the most opportune time. I suppose there is no help for it or time to waste jabbering if she is to be saved from her own folly. Let us be off." With that, she turns toward the ship purposefully. Drakar points out the spellcasters to Segev and the Elf with the bow and muttering angrily under his breath to the two of them says, "Slavers." The word a sneer of disgust. "There are few of them and many of us. I doubt that we'll have much trouble. I'll take the spellcaster on the left and ask that the rest of you firing from here pick other targets. If we can wait until Lannstucht and the other fighters are challenged, I believe we can take most of them down with one barrage while they are distracted. To Lannstucht, Kyran, and Korg in particular he says, "You must take out all four city guards at the same time. Try not to kill them, but they must not have time to call for reinforcements or we will face the entire city. Go for any with horns and smash the horns. Gods speed and their blessings upon you." Drakar closes his eyes as he murmers a simple prayer and all in the party feel the blessings of the spirits upon them, their weapons and armor just a tad lighter and easier to move in, their weariness gone, and their senses coming alive, seeing the world with a clarity that brings every breath, every step into perfect relief. As the fighters go he turns to himself, murmering a quick blessing upon his bow and calling upon his faith to shield him. As he takes aim at the suspected spellcaster he calls for the spirits to guide his shot to the target and draws a masterwork arrow with black fletchings of raven feathers forth from his sheath. Kyran shakes his head and points to the ship, also taking a grappling hook w/ rope attached out of his pack, growling. Drakar could probably figure out that Kyran wants to board the ship and cause havoc there. Drakar hisses at Kyran "By all means board the ship boy, but make sure we take care of the guards FIRST. Before they call for reinforcements. Then we'll have the ship at our leisure." Kyran stows his rope away and growls back. He spies the city guards and looks for any of them that have the horn that's supposed to attract other guards, preparing for the right point to bull-rush them into the water. Korg smirks at Kyran momentarily as Kyran decides that they must now attack immediately, then drops back to a simple grin as he starts casually striding towards the ship with Lannstucht. "I hope you have no similar compunctions about slavers," he replies to Drakar. Lannstucht looks back over her shoulder. "Fools! We have no need to interfere with the city guards if we take care of this quietly below decks. This is no time for flashy displays of male machoness." And Korg chuckles slightly at that. "As opposed to feminine machoness?" he quips. "If you have a plan, I'll follow your judgement," he continues more seriously. Tana says as he starts toward the ship, "I concur." He continues as if he has business on the ship. "Let not the lichen grow under your feet." He says as he leaves. Lannstucht allows her aura of firm purpose and belonging to include Tana as part of her entourage as she continues past the guards. Segev's servant follows Tana and Lannstucht without a word, and Segev himself is not far behind. Seg said something and gestured as if casting a spell, but then stopped, and just held his hands at his sides in the shapes they'd held when he ceased. He doesn't say anything as he follows the others. Kyran, after having the invisibility spell cast on him by Segev, suddenly stops making a sound. He moves quickly and quietly up the loading ramp, sniffing out Katrina's position. Once he locates where she is and that she is (relatively) okay, he'll get into a position that can easily guard where she is and strike out at the same time, hopefully flanking the enemies. Ruathor locates a spot adjacent to the ship, behind stacks of waiting cargo whereby he can still see the spellcasters, chooses and nocks an arrow, selects the spellcaster furthest from the gangplank as his target, and holds to loose his deadly arrow, waiting on Kyran's signal. The group is stopped at the foot of the gangplank by the city guards. "No one boards tonight." Segev turns aside and continues on, heading back the way he came, at that declaration. His armored servant stands there for a bit, before doing the same. When he gets out of immediate sight of the ship, he finds a quiet location to watch the procedings. He keeps his readied Magic Missile...for whatever comes. Still ideally geared to interrupt a troublesome action by an enemy. Korg raises an eyebrow at the guard, as if to ask if he's entirely sure that he wants to say that. "Do you know who this is?" he rumbles, obviously referring to Lannstucht. "Or are you just trying to get us to pay you a... toll..." he adds, by 'toll' obviously meaning 'bribe'. Behind crates at the end of the dock, maybe 70 feet down from the gang plank where Lannstucht, Korg, and Tana are standing having been denied entry by the city guards there on the dock, Drakar watches this happen out the corner of his eye. He still holds his bead on the nearest magic user aboard the ship. Hissing out the side of his mouth, he calls to Menaria. "Menaria, I think they're stalled. Can you play the damsel in distress and make it convincing for those city guards?" Cracking a smirk, she eyes Drakar. "Sure, who's going to be the lucky chap to be trying to rob me or steal my virture?" Drakar doesn't respond as he continues holding the bow drawn back to his ear and his aim on the distant figure of a presumed magic user onboard the ship. "I don't care if she's the Queen of Caer Zitheral or the Grand Duchess of Penticon, which she clearly isn't. No one boards until sunrise." Tana stands there rolling a platinum piece between his fingers of his left hand, "My good sir, we have been presented with an offer of a goodly bit of coin, if you appreciate my meaning. I was informed it would be best to come after the sun has set. Although I was not informed that we would receive difficulties, reaching our intended destination. My friends, it appears that we should seek the captain of the guard and have our selves properly introduced." Lannstucht stands there looking properly aloof and aristocratic. "It is good that our newest 'acquisition' should be so well attended, however there is no need for such a spectacle to be created in public. Take us to the captain or the cargomaster, I care not which. Of course I would be... most generously grateful for your courteous service." "You ain't foolin' anyone, lady. My orders were clear, with no exceptions. Nobody boards after dark. I don't know what shit you two are trying to pull, but you're not getting past us. Now run along, before we have you two thrown in gaol!" There is some movement, as the other two guards that have been patrolling are quickly approaching the ship. From her position behind some crates, Tanda takes aim at the guards approaching her teammates. Drakar spots Tanda's aim shift to the city guards approaching Lannstucht, Korg, Tana Mauru, & Walker and hisses from the side of his mouth. "Tanda, think before you do that. You kill a city guard and we'll have the whole city after any of us they get a description of. Korg & Lannstucht can handle themselves just fine, and they've got Roland and the Desert nomad to back them up. It's four on four so keep your aim on the archers." Lannstucht glances the guard over coolly, glances at Korg, crossdraws her cleaveresque sword and blade breaker in a sweeping motion that ends with the spokesguard's head bouncing dully onto the dock. As she does so, she whistles shrilly, sending Dunnstacht pounding towards her, teeth bared and metal caps flashing in the dimming light. Drakar swears under his breath as he watches Lannstucht spill the blood of a city guard and lets fly with his carefully held and aimed arrow at the nearer spellcaster aboard the ship. He draws a second arrow, ready to let it fly at the same target if the first does not finish the job, or to fly at the archer if the spellcaster should be protected by some arrow deflecting spell. Katrina hears the common up ahead as one of the archers falls, unstoppering the vial of healing potion and drinking it. Casting shield, she approaches the steps, and bides her time, waiting for the right moment to join the rest of the group. Paia mantles silently on her shoulder, ready to launch when Katrina emerges. Korg catches the meaning of Lannstucht's glance pretty clearly, reaches behind his back and draws his greatsword with far more speed than would seem possible for something of its size. He immediately aims a blow at one of the other guards's torsos, putting all of his enormous strength behind it since it seems that they're going to be in trouble with the law no matter what now. Drakar, seeing Lann slice and dice, immediately looses his arrow, hitting the forward spellcaster. A second later, Ruathor fires an arrow at the aft spellcaster. Menaria immediately casts Prayer on the group from her position behind some crates. Segev's new companion draws forth his(?) sword, and slices into one of the guards on the dock. Tana's scimitar sings as it slices through the air, an audible noise akin to the low string on an untuned bass reverberating through the air around the docks as he charges towards one of the guards. The scimitar embeds itself deep in the side of one of the guards. The archers have taken note of the attempts to board, and start firing at the group attacking the gangplank. Tana and Korg both take an arrow, while two arrows bounce off the silent Crusader armor. Dunnstacht's charge leaves one of the guards hurting, as he attacks with both front hooves and his capped teeth. The three remaining guards have their swords drawn, and attack their opponents. The one Korg's facing breaks his sword against Korg's armor, and the one facing off against Dunnstucht has his sword fail to penetrate Dunn's barding. The one facing Tana, however, manages to slip past his chain shirt, sending the desert warrior's blood flying from the hit. Lannstucht dashes up the gangplank, charging right at one of the shipboard guards. Her longsword slices into him. Korg ignores the arrow that hit him, slicing into the one Dunnstacht trampled. That opponent drops; and he turns where he is to slice in half the one that hit Tana. His attention quickly turns to the last remaining guard, burying his greatsword in that one as well. While all this is going on, Katrina is belowdecks, slicing her way through untrained mooks. She guts two of them, as a hobgoblin wearing breastplate armor approaches confidently. Tanda lets loose with her bow at the one archer on the deck of the ship, smiling evilly at the mess Korg is making. Her arrow embeds itself in the archer's side. Kyran becomes visible on the deck of the ship as he attacks the same spellcaster. One of the swordsmen drops his sword and dives overboard, screaming in abject horror. (He sinks, as he's wearing too much to swim.) Kyran's sword digs into the spellcaster. The spellcasters turn their attention to the docks. One of them quickly chants and waves his arms. Segev, at the same time, throws magic missiles at the forward spellcaster. His aim is just as good as Katrina's, only he forces three missiles down the spellcaster's throat. The caster's intended fireball goes off, taking both him and the archer next to him with him. The other spellcaster fires a magic missile at Korg, doing minor damage. The swordsmen at the top of the gangplank both attempt to stop Lann's charge, but their swords simply clank off her armor. Roland's a flurry of movement at the base of the docks, slamming his fists into the remaining guard's face. The force of the blows knocks the head clean off, and it lands in the water between the dock and the ship. Drakar, grumbling about people not following plans or directions, fires again, this time at the remaining spellcaster. His arrow flies true, skewering the last spellcaster, who drops. Ruathor stays put, and sends another arrow flying through the air. This one lands in the forward archer's chest, staggering him back a little from the force. Menaria springs forward from her hiding place, and quickly casts a spell on Tana, and his wound stops bleeding and heals itself. (OOC: cure serious) He mutters his thanks to her. The silent minion advances up the gangplank, and hacks at the guy on the right. He(?) chops off the guy's arm, showing no mercy or regret. Tana advances up the gangplank as well, attacking the two at the other end. He slices powerfully into the one on the right, leaving a serious wound. The remaining three archers fire at the party on the gangplank. One bounces off Korg's armor, another is deflected by Tana's buckler. Lannstucht, however, isn't quite so lucky, an arrow penetrating her armor and piercing her left shoulder. The hobgoblin raises his own two-bladed sword with the poise of someone who knows how to use it, and hits at her twice, once with each blade, both times managing to bypass her magic shield and mithril shirt. The cuts are light, but damaging nonetheless. Lannstucht again slashes at the warrior on the right in an effort to get past him. Her sword klanks off his chainmail. As she does so, she slips past him and heads for the door to belowdecks. Korg strides silently and purposefully up the gangplank, his greatsword leaning casually against his shoulder as it drips blood and gore. "Move aside," he says simply. When they don't move aside fast enough for him, he slices at the one on the left, gouging into him with a blow that leaves chain links in the wound. Katrina meets the hobgoblin with fire in her eyes, and slices forward with her sword. Her fury at being captured combined with the adrenaline surge of the fight causes her to slice at him with more strength than normal, gouging him but not dropping him. Tanda fires again, this time at an archer. Her shot goes wild. Segev casts a spell, and a giant, smoky, disembodied hand appears in mid-air on the docks. It races towards one of the archers on the deck, gripping her. She screams in pain, which is quickly stifled. Those on the ship smell the stench of carrior emanating from her. Kyran shifts his attention to the other archer amidships, and charges at her, his sword gleaming in the faint light. She manages to avoid the blow, but not by much. The swordsmen at the docks both focus their attacks on Korg. Both swords bounce off Korg's armor. Roland races up the gangplank, and uses Korg's bulk as a step in order to land behind the swordsmen. He lands two fast and quick blows to the small of the back of the one on his right (everyone else's left). Drakar shoots at the forward archer again. The arrow buries itself in his gut. Ruathor shifts his target to the paralyzed archer, firing off two arrows at her in rapid succession. Both arrows bury themselves in her. Menaria dashes back to her hiding place. Tana's scimitar sings again as he swings at the swordsman on the left. However, his blow is stopped by the swordsman's sword. The forward archer fires again at Korg, twice in rapid succession. One bypasses his armor, the other bounces off it. The archer facing off against Kyran steps back about ten feet and fires at him almost point-blank. Her arrow is caught by his shield. The hobgoblin grins toothily, swinging his doublesword around and slashing at Katrina with it. Her shield spell deflects the one blow, but the other leaves another small gash. Tanda fires at the paralyzed archer. This time, her aim is true, and the arrow embeds itself in her target's heart; the archer falls over dead. Segev's spectral hand dissipates, and he simply watches the scene, confident that the battle is almost over. Kyran goes all out against the archer, slashing and biting at her. However, he loses his footing, and ends up face-first on the deck. He does manage to bite her ankle, though. She trips, and falls off the railing and into the water. The swordsmen at the top are determined to repel the boarders, and go all out attempting to knock out Korg or the silent Crusader. The one on the left breaks his sword against the Crusader's, and the one on the right once again has his sword bounce off Korg's armor. The one on the left drops the hilt of his sword, figures that survival is the better part of cowardace, and runs for the far side. He trips over Kyran's form, and sprawls headlong into the railing, where he dangles off the side of the ship. Roland spinkicks, whacking the remaining swordsman in the side of the head with his foot. The force of the blow sends the swordsman sprawling... onto Korg's blade, where he goes limp, slowly dying. Drakar fires again at the forward archer, shaking his head at Kyran's misfortune. Distracted, his attack veers off to the right, and hits the deck. Slinging his bow, he charges for the ship, leaping from the docks to the deck without using the gangplank, headed straight for the forward archer. He feels himself slipping into a rage as he does so. Ruathor again fires two arrows in rapid succession at the paralyzed archer. Segev's minion simply walks onto the deck, and stands there, waiting further orders. Tana spots a group of six mooks coming out of the door down below, and moves to intercept. His first slash downs one immediately. The forward archer fires at Drakar as he charges, doing minor damage to the enraged half-orc. The hobgoblin squares his jaw, and attacks Katrina with both blades of his double-sword. However, both attacks bounce off her shield. Lannstucht finds herself faced with a horde of mooks between herself and Katrina. "Korg! We need you to make mook-kebabs down below!" she yells. She slashes at the mooks, taking one down, but there's another to take his place. Korg sighs, and moves to down below. Seeing the horde of mooks, he settles into the tedious duty of slashing away at them. Katrina slashes at the hobgoblin again. This time, she manages to get a good blow in, dropping him to the ground. She immediately lands a blow on one of the mooks that closed in to take his place, dropping the mook as well. Tanda decides to join the others on deck, and casually strolls up the gangplank, looking at the carnage. Kyran picks himself up off the deck, and leaps down into the cargo hold, following Katrina's scent. He's innundated with the scent of fresh blood, which leads him to the slaughterhouse Katrina, Korg, and Lannstucht are creating. Roland relaxes, coming out of his combat stance. Drakar messily eviscerates the remaining archer with his spiked gauntlets. He spins around, half-looking for additional targets to vent his rage on. Seeing none, and the carnage they've created, he forces himself to calm, where he slumps to the deck, winded. Katrina, Korg, and Lann manage to trim the mooks to the point where the rest of them surrender rather than end up dead. Paia comes to rest on Katrina's shoulder, and cocks her head at Lann. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Okay! XP! Everyone gets 200 XP for the session, based on the number of replies I've received. Katrina gets 900 XP for her solo combat session against two 5th level rogues. In addition, everyone gains 1,100 XP for the fight on board the ship. Drakar gains an additional 200 XP for attempting to arrange for a decent strategy, as well as 250 for good use of spells. Katrina gets 100 for not sitting and waiting for a rescue. Korg gets 200 for sheer badass style. Kyran gets 200 for strategy and tactics. Lannstucht gets 200 for staying mostly in-character. Menaria gets 250 for use of spells while staying in-character. Roland gets 200 for sheer kick-butt style. Ruathor gets 200 sub-plot bonus Segev gets 150 for letting his minion do all the work. Both Katrina and Segev get 200 for proper use of magic missile to sensitive areas. It's all in the wrist, right? ~_^ I'll work out loot shortly.