"Shit, din I lock dat bastahd in!
Frank pulls out his knife, but drops it! Deciding he doesn't have the time to look for it, he stands in front of the door, ready to kick it into the face of whomever is storming the stairs.

[Private to GM: Rolls: Frank the Fiddler rolled 15 using 3d6. Against Fast Draw: 13.]
This message was last edited by the player at 11:28, Mon 29 Sept 2008.

Gaiven stumbles back when the box roars into flames, desperately padding himself to make sure he isn't on fire. However, once the first panic reaction wears off, he rushes for the bedstand, grabbing the pitcher of water. On the outside, he might still be as impassive and quiet as always, but on the inside a litany of curses is running through his mind.

Even more so, when the water fails to work, and the sound of footsteps is heard. Being unable to talk, however, makes Gaiven unable to really do anything about the inhabitants of the house, unless things descent into outright fighting. Instead he quickly looks around, grabs a candle stick[Private to GM: or fire poker or cane or whatever long thing I can find] and tries to get the lid on the box closed again.

Fleet-of-foot Gaiven runs to the fireplace, grabs the poker, the closes the lid. Suddenly, the room goes pitch black again and everyone's eyes gasp for light as they try to adjust to the darkness.

From the stairwell is the glow of a swinging lantern and the booms of a heavy man running up the steps. In the next second or two, whoever it is will emerge into Frank's view.


[Private to Gaiven the Dumb: OOC: Treat your fire poker as an improvised small mace (sw cr +2) if you want to use it as a weapon.]

Frank sees the lantern and panics! If dat ding bheaks, we might as well have buined ourselfs wid de box!
Seeing Gaiven close the box with the perfect tool for smashing in a skull, without sending it tumbling down the stairs, Frank snatches the poker and hides next to the door, the iron rod held high above his head.

Gaiven is still blinking against the returned darkness, when Frank grab the poker from his fingers. For a moment he almost resists the shadow, but then he realizes that it gotta be one of his companions, what with the only other person in the room being the fat merchant, and let's go.

He's not quite sure what Frank is gonna do with the poker, but he knows that something has to be done about the man on the stairs. Bending to one knee, he hesitantly reaches out to try and lift the box, half afraid that it'll be blistering hot, half aware that he needs to move quickly.

[Private to GM: If it is too hot enough to cause burns, I'm not going to sacrifice my hands picking it up]
This message was last edited by the player at 21:32, Mon 29 Sept 2008.

Oh, the box is hot, but not enough to burn Gaiven. He picks it up and glances over his shoulder at the door.

Iridia tightened her grip over the man the closer whoever else is in the house drew to the door. She made sure the merchant could still feel the cold steel of her knife on his neck.

With booming footfalls heralding his arrival, a giant of a man emerges from below like a demon ascending from Hell. Hideous and naked all but for a loincloth, the man ducks under the threshold holding a relatively small lantern in his left hand, a big wooden cudgel in his right. His corpulent belly and powerfully-built chest, arms and shoulders are covered in black hair and dark warts. A jutting brow shadows his deep-set eyes; a poorly mended broken nose and a recently-shaven head complete his ogrish appearance.

If Frank knew what he was getting himself into, he would probably deserve a medal for bravery. Like a knight charging into battle sword swinging above his head, Frank jumps out from behind the door and brings the fire poker down upon his foe. The iron rod comes slamming down on the man's left arm with a thud.

The metal lantern goes crashing to the floor, but manages not to break.

Furious, the giant returns with a vicious back-handed swing, but the heavy wooden skull-splitter misses Frank's nose by an inch when he dodges back.

---

OOC:
Stripe rolled 6 using 3d6. Frank's attack to random location. (Success)
Stripe rolled 10 using 3d6. Bobo's parry. (Fail)
Stripe rolled 12 using 3d6. Random Loc. Table. (Left Arm)
Stripe rolled 4 using 1d6. Damage. (5)
Stripe rolled 8 using 3d6. Bobo's attack to random loc. (Fail)

It is now Gaiven and Iridia's turn, whoever posts first. When they finish, Round 1 will be complete. Bobo is standing in the door, and it would take an Evade manuver (p. 368) to get past him while he stands there.

"Frank!" Iridia shouted, futily trying to warn Frank of the incoming blow. Her shout did little to save Frank from being knocked back.

"Damnit!" Iridia cursed aloud, she had little or no time to act. However, quick thinking is what she was good at. Iridia quickly jumped up, landing her heels straight in the middle of the merchant's belly, hopefully knocking him out or paralyzing him with pain. She then took the bed sheet and threw it like a web on the big ugly guard, "Gaiven! Go!"

Wether that was a signal for Gaiven to attack or run away was not known. It was up to Gaiven to think of what to do. One thing was on Iridia's mind though; If the two men cannot beat the guard, she will be bailing out the window.

-----

OOC: She took the sheets off the merchant a few posts back.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:31, Tue 30 Sept 2008.

Iridia's heels plunge into the huge gullet-mountain, causing the fat merchant to wheeze and shriek. "You little whore!" He manages to cough. "Bobo! Kill them! Kill them!"

Iridia's makeshift net doesn't work a thing like it did in her imagination; it fails miserably to unfurl and glide through the air to land on the giant and wrap him up from the top down. The heavy blanket simply falls to the floor in a heap before the feet of the glaring, snarling ogre-man.

When Gaiven picked up the box, he knew exactly why, but wasn't sure if he'd actually use it. Now, with the large man in view, he knows that he has little choice, but to do so.

Another man might have uttered a warcry, or simply hollered to bolster his own strength. As Gaiven takes three steps towards the merchant's bodyguard, he does so in complete silence. One arm wraps around the box to hold it steady, opening pointed towards the man, the other hand seizes the lid and wrests it open!

[Private to GM: No idea what kinda rolls are needed for this]

Flame shoots out of the lockbox as if it contained burning lantern oil. The hideous behemoth roars and throws his hands up, toppling backwards into the darkness and crashing down the stairs. His enormous weight comes to a thunderous rest on the landing below.

However, fire wasn't the only thing to come flying out of the box. Seemingly unharmed by the intense flames that are still ravaging the box's insides, a black silk pouch slides out and onto the floor when Gaiven first opened its lid.

Gaiven wrestles the lid shut again, and turns to glare at the merchant, box still cradled in his arm.

[Private to GM: Also listening to hear if the man below is trying to get up again.]

He's horrified, of course -- not only of Iridia looming above him with a gleaming knife blade or of Frank standing near the foot of his bed with a wickedly-spiked iron poker, but most especially of Gaiven standing there with a flame-throwing mechanism and an evil light in his eye.

"Take it! Take whatever you want and leave! Just don't hurt me!" the merchant blubbers.

For a full second, Gaiven simply glares at the merchant. Then he bends down to scoop up the silk pouch from the floor.

Maneuvering the magic box into the crook of his arm to get both hands free, he opens the pouch to make sure it truly is the tooth inside.

Inside the silk bag is a small, purple felt-covered box, which Gaiven takes out and carefully opens. Inside, sitting on red, silk covered pillows is a breathtaking, majestic diamond that can be none other than the Dragon's Tooth.

"No! You fools wouldn't dare take that! You'll be good as dead if you do! Its owner will put a price on all your heads so high, every bounty hunter in the empire will come down on you!

"Fools! You'll doom us all!"

Gaiven looks for a second at the merchant, then closes the box and puts it back into the silk bag.

Looking at his two companions, he makes a throw of his head towards the stairs, while he turns towards the merchant and once again juggles the magic box so that it can be used offensively. The precious silk bag dangling from his left hand.

"You weak-minded buffoon!" The fat merchant yells so hard the veins in his forehead and neck practically burst through his skin. "The fire isn't even real! They're phantom flames! Illusionary!

"How much did they offer you? A thousand gold pieces? Three thousand? I wouldn't let you breath on that diamond for five thousand gold pieces!

"But, it's just a sparkling rock to a street urchin like you -- one with worth measured in riches. To a sorcerer, it is a treasure beyond your feeble comprehension. To a wizard, such a flawless powerstone is priceless!

"Lay it down, thief, and be off with you! I shall forget I ever saw your face! Bobo! If you are alive and conscious, let them go I say! Let them go unharmed!"

The merchant's voice goes low as he looks deep into Gaiven's eyes. "All you must do is set it down and walk away. Take your loot and run...

"...Or... You'll never live to spend it."

Frank wasn't really listening to the merchant's rambling. He was still amazed by the sheer hugeness of bobo, and the fact he hit him. If that guy came back up the stairs again... Frank grabs the small chest of jewelery and gems, walking to the window and speaks to Gaiven. "I say take the lot, but whateve you're gonna do, bedde do it fast, I'm not sticking around for Bobo."

"Shut up, you pig! How dare you insult a lady?!" Iridia scolds the merchant and kicks his side. She was furious at him calling her a whore. If only he knew who she once was.

"Hey, nice thinking, Gee." Iridia threw a thumb up for Gaiven. She did not use his real name so the merchant wouldn't know them. Iridia had to admit she thought he wasn't so bright when she first met him. But with how he just beat Bobo and found the Dragon's Tooth, Gaiven just earned cool points with her, and depending upon his personal tastes, that maybe a good thing or a bad thing.

"I said shut up!" Iridia kicked the mercant again on his side. She didn't have patience for him. Although what he said about the Dragon's tooth being worth thousands of gold instead of the thirty gold they were offered sounded interesting. If what he said was true, then they have been tricked. "We better get out of here. This bastard must have waken up half the neighborhood."

Iridia walked down the bed to Frank's side.

When the merchant mentions that the flames are illusory, Gaiven looks down at the box, not quite sure if he believes the man. Sure, it'd make sense. Didn't want to burn your own house down. And would be kind of fool-hardy to threaten him, if they weren't. But the roaring flames, and the way the box had grown hot made the thing seem so real.

After a short second of thought, Gaiven decides that it doesn't really matter any more. Hurrying over to the stairs, he grabs the lantern, and peers down to try and discern the condition of Bobo.

Frank opens the window and steps out with one leg. "Fohgedaboudhim, let's go!" He's already climbing out and down the walls of the richly adorned house.

[Private to GM: Rolls:
Today: Frank the Fiddler rolled 12 using 3d6. Against Climbing, 14, but I don't know the penalty for holding a box of jewels under one arm, or the difficulty modifier for richly adorned house walls (please let them be richly adorned)
Today: Frank the Fiddler rolled 9 using 3d6. Against Acrobatics, 14. To drop down the last feet or in case I fall, to prevent damage.]

Bobo is on his feet trying his best to sneak up the stairs when the lantern's light hits him. For a second's splinter, Gaiven and the ogre lock eyes, and in the giant's fierce gaze, the thief sees murderous rage.

Bobo roars and takes off running up the steps. In two short seconds, he'll be at the top!

Gaiven's eyes widens and his mouth gapes open in voiceless surprise. The lantern's handles lies handily in his right hand, however, and he almost instinctively throws the lamp at the giant, before turning around and storming for the window.

Only to find it largely blocked by Frank and Iridia starting their descent.

Gaiven doesn't see it, but he hears the crash as the lantern's glass smashes. The ogre-man roars in anger and the fat merchant squeals in horror at the prospect that his residence and business might be going up in flames. He manages to haul his massive girth out of bed and waddle over to the door to see if he can help. "Bobo! Roll on it! Put them out you fool!"

As his friends decend, Gaiven takes one last look over his shoulder before following his comrades out the window and into the windy night.

But, the burglars' adventure doesn't come to an end at that point. First, Frank insists on going back for the jewelry box inside the lower floor.

While inside, the merchant starts to shout for soldiers, apparently oblivious to the fact the burglars had returned. "Guards! Guards! Come quickly! Guards!" shouts the merchant out the upper story window. His voice is carried away by the howl of the wind but soon, everyone in the Upper Ward is awake and shouting window to window. Soldiers everywhere come crawling out of their hiding from the storm. The three thieves are hunted like foxes.

How they manage to return to the dark slums of Rimuldar without being caught is perhaps the greatest feet of the night.

Suffice it to say, they make it. Gasping, heaving, sweating, trembling... But they make it.



[Private to Gaiven the Dumb: OOC: You have your two sacks and 4 kp, one of those for the box/flamethrower trick. You can record the kp as unspent points or as Karma Points. Whatever suits you.]

[Private to Iridia Silvermane: Take 2 kp for a job well done! You can record them as unspent character points or as Karma Points, whichever. Great roleplaying!]

[Private to Frank the Fiddler: Take 2 kp for a job well done! You can record them as unspent character points or as Karma Points, whichever. We'll talk about experience points in OOC.]