Completed Play-by-Post: In Search of the Sorcerer

[bert]

Spoiler

Sokrates will run away and hide, since they didn't see his face. He'll try and regroup with the others.

Following the actions of the others, Sokrates runs away and hides for the moment.

 

[nikolokolus]

As Marcán bolts to the east and emerges from the smoke, he hears a voice shout from behind him, "There's one, but stay your post! Reinforcements will get him!" Seconds later Borric darts east out of the smoke cloud and runs toward the bluffside path. One of the two guards by the stairs exclaims, "Sargeant! The other one just ran for the bluff?!" After a brief pause, the lead guard shouts back, "Don't worry, I'll cut them off!"

Marcán's and Borric's flight along the narrow path overlooking the harbor allows him to see the entirety of Lowtown - little pinpricks of torchlight hundreds of feet below can be seen spreading out like a half-moon arc around waters of the harbor glittering in the moonlight. Distressingly however, is the sound of pounding feet running up the stairs when he rounds the corner. A glance over the shoulder and down the bluff reveals three or four torches bobbing along about a hundred yards away held at the vanguard of a knot of men running up the heavily switch backed staircase - perhaps a dozen spear points and metal helmets glinting in the ruddy light.

(No Melee Attacks this round)

SECOND ROUND
Roll for initiative

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Roll

Initiative: [1d6] = 6

OOC

Guys, at this point, I can possibly give a shot at climbing down to lowtown, I got the 5 rolls of hemp rope and iron spikes to peg it on in my backpack. I could possibly rappel down, and with luck you guys could maybe follow me down if no one notices, assuming I place the spike somewhere obscure enough... Thoughts?

 

[nikolokolus]

Spoiler

five rolls of hemp rope?! :D

Somehow All I can imagine is this

 

[nikolokolus]

Just realized I fucked something up. Marcán is headed for the bluff too I realize now. In which case the lead guard still spots him through the fringe of the smoke cloud and still yells to his men to stay put and that he's going to cut you off . . . pretend you don't hear those footsteps thundering from the west . . . yet

 

[nikolokolus]

Guard's Initiative [1d6] = 1

Good Guy NPCs' Initiative [1d6] = 1

 

[ERYFKRAD]

OOC

Yeah well, never can have enough rope. So, if I were to attempt a climb-down, what'd your ruling be?

 

[nikolokolus]

OOC

Yeah well, never can have enough rope. So, if I were to attempt a climb-down, what'd your ruling be?

ANSWER

Hmmm . . . a couple of things first. I'll totally let you have your five coils of rope, but there is going to be a movement penalty of -6 from this point forward. I say this speaking as an amateur mountaineer

If you want to rappel it's going to take some time to tie each length of rope together (1 round to make one knot) but there is a low railing along the bluff carved from sandstone that would be quite easy to use as a tie-off. It's worth noting that in the dark it is very difficult to judge the drop to the ground and you are completely unfamiliar with the locale. Make a 5d6 Intelligence check to judge the distance.

Addendum

If you want to hammer a spike or two into the sandstone cliffs you can do that, but you'll need to hammer them, which is going to make a bit of noise . . .

 

[Grimgravy]

Rhenmyr's Initiative [1d6+1] = 5+1 = 6

OOC

Climbing down might have been an option before we alerted the guards. I don't think it's an option now. Best lose the guards and head to the Optimate's Ransom like Nightingale suggested.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Rhenmyr's Initiative [1d6+1] = 5+1 = 6

OOC

Climbing down might have been an option before we alerted the guards. I don't think it's an option now. Best lose the guards and head to the Optimate's Ransom like Nightingale suggested.

OOC

My take is that either I or Siveon and I could drop down unnoticed. In the dark, the guard might think he lost us. And the rest of the group can head downwards the other way and we can hit on some place to meet. I know, I know, don't ever split the party etc.

OOC

Yeah well, never can have enough rope. So, if I were to attempt a climb-down, what'd your ruling be?

ANSWER

Hmmm . . . a couple of things first. I'll totally let you have your five coils of rope, but there is going to be a movement penalty of -6 from this point forward. I say this speaking as an amateur mountaineer

If you want to rappel it's going to take some time to tie each length of rope together (1 round to make one knot) but there is a low railing along the bluff carved from sandstone that would be quite easy to use as a tie-off. It's worth noting that in the dark it is very difficult to judge the drop to the ground and you are completely unfamiliar with the locale. Make a 5d6 Intelligence check to judge the distance.

Addendum

If you want to hammer a spike or two into the sandstone cliffs you can do that, but you'll need to hammer them, which is going to make a bit of noise . . .

ANSWER TO ANSWER

Ok, I had previously factored in the encumbrance at char creation, including rope weight, now I'm confused as to what my actual moverate should be. That said, can I tie the rope to the railing, clamber/rappel down, then tie the rope ends as I go along?
Or I could just climb down once and hope the guard thinks I've disappeared. Maybe have Marcan grind some chalk and spread a dust cloud.
Boy am I going overboard with this.

 

[Siveon]

roll

Initiative: [1d6] = 1

 

[Helly]

Spoiler

Initiative [1d6] = 2

 

[nikolokolus]

OOC

My take is that either I or Siveon and I could drop down unnoticed. In the dark, the guard might think he lost us. And the rest of the group can head downwards the other way and we can hit on some place to meet. I know, I know, don't ever split the party etc.

Spoiler

I'll just throw this out there, if you get split up you have no way to communicate with the party; you can't plan to meet up anywhere because A) you don't know the place and B) No contingencies were ever put in place beforehand. That said, you can definitely enact your plan and I won't do anything to stop you.

ANSWER TO ANSWER

Ok, I had previously factored in the encumbrance at char creation, including rope weight, now I'm confused as to what my actual moverate should be. That said, can I tie the rope to the railing, clamber/rappel down, then tie the rope ends as I go along?
Or I could just climb down once and hope the guard thinks I've disappeared. Maybe have Marcan grind some chalk and spread a dust cloud.
Boy am I going overboard with this.

ANSWER

I'm sorry if i missed the number of coils of rope on your character sheet previously, otherwise I would have said something earlier. The rules are a little fuzzy on item encumbrance beyond weapons and armor. The rule on page 32 of S&W Complete states, "A 'normal' amount of miscellaneous equipment (not including weapons and armor) is assumed to weigh 10 pounds." That word 'normal' leaves some room for interpretation. My own is that a single coil of rope (or 2 silk ropes) can be slung over a shoulder or hung from a belt, or 2 hemp ropes (or 4 silk ropes) could stuffed into a backpack without slowing you down. Adding those extra coils of hemp rope isn't so much about the added weight as it is the bulk. Also The movement penalty I mentioned above assumes you started at 12 MOVE (the base movement number). Looking over your character sheet I noticed that your carry weight seems overly high - armor and weapons only add up to 55 lbs. + 10 lbs. for 'normal' miscellaneous gear = 65 lbs, not 163+. To be fair and at least marginally realistic, let's say you can carry two ropes in your backpack and one over your shoulder or on your belt without slowing you down. If you add those two extra ropes then your MOVE will drop from 12 to 9 (which calculates from 40 to 30 in combat). Does that sound reasonable?

With that out of the way here's what you can do in a single round: You can remove a rope from your inventory and tie it off. The next round you would be able to start climbing down . . . This assumes nobody engages you in melee.

 

[nikolokolus]

Since Sokrates is currently out of the combat (for all intents and purposes) I don't need his initiative roll. He, along with Heron, Erasmos and Hyginos are free to run or stay put until/unless they get spotted or otherwise engaged with guards. At this point they are following Sokrates lead and will go where he goes. To your north a small square with a fountain can be seen in the dim moonlight and the faint glow from braziers and torches in the bazaar can be seen a little farther on - possibly a hundred or more yards off to the northeast.

Round 2 Initiative Order:
Borric & Rhenmyr - 6
Ker - 2
Nightingale, Marcán, Guards - 1

Currently the guards do not have a visual fix of any of you, so if Borric wants to pull out a rope and tie it off against the rail he can do that this round.

Ker, Rhenmyr and Nightingale are in the dark of the alley and the guard has turned on his heel and appears to be headed right toward your tripline. The three of youcan now hear shouting and boots striking against cobbles and the unmistakable sound of armor clinking from somewhere west of the stairs and the two gaurds standing watch there. Furthermore, Nightingale's smoke bomb has stopped emitting its stuff and it looks as though it is dissipating a little.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

OOC

My take is that either I or Siveon and I could drop down unnoticed. In the dark, the guard might think he lost us. And the rest of the group can head downwards the other way and we can hit on some place to meet. I know, I know, don't ever split the party etc.

Spoiler

I'll just throw this out there, if you get split up you have no way to communicate with the party; you can't plan to meet up anywhere because A) you don't know the place and B) No contingencies were ever put in place beforehand. That said, you can definitely enact your plan and I won't do anything to stop you.

OOC

Yeah, right now I'm just waiting to see if Siveon has a better plan. I mean this is a very very very stupid idea and I wanna do it partly because of that.

 

[Grimgravy]

OOC

Is our tripwire tied to something and fixed in place? If so, it's time to make a break for the north. Or do we have to hold it?

 

[nikolokolus]

OOC

Yeah, right now I'm just waiting to see if Siveon has a better plan. I mean this is a very very very stupid idea and I wanna do it partly because of that.

OOC

From your mouth to God's ears

OOC

Is our tripwire tied to something and fixed in place? If so, it's time to make a break for the north. Or do we have to hold it?

Answer

There's some old crates and the like, but nothing solidly fixed that you can tie it off against. Holding it is probably your only viable option.

As you sit in the depths of the shadows, Nightingale tugs on your sleeve and nods her head as if to indicate she's ready to pounce if you trip the guard.

 

[Siveon]

OOC

My take is that either I or Siveon and I could drop down unnoticed. In the dark, the guard might think he lost us. And the rest of the group can head downwards the other way and we can hit on some place to meet. I know, I know, don't ever split the party etc.

Spoiler

I'll just throw this out there, if you get split up you have no way to communicate with the party; you can't plan to meet up anywhere because A) you don't know the place and B) No contingencies were ever put in place beforehand. That said, you can definitely enact your plan and I won't do anything to stop you.

OOC

Yeah, right now I'm just waiting to see if Siveon has a better plan. I mean this is a very very very stupid idea and I wanna do it partly because of that.

OOC

One of us could just, y'know tell them what we're doing? Or, we could take that lead-ish guard as a hostage. As if we didn't have enough NPC's for nikolokolus to worry about.

 

[nikolokolus]

 

[Grimgravy]

Rhenmyr nods in gratitude toward Nightingale. He will wait and attempt to trip the guard, then try to incapacitate him or flee with the others as the situation allows.

 

[nikolokolus]

Since Borric is delaying until Marcán acts he drops to the bottom of the initiative order.

The guard pauses for a moment, looking to his right down a very narrow alley before picking up his feet and plunging ahead down the somewhat wider passageway where Rhenmyr and Ker lie in wait. The both of you pull the line taut about a foot off the ground when he's a couple of feet away. He stumbles blindly into the line and plunges headfirst to the ground.

Nightingale darts out of the shadows with a blackjack raised high and brings it down hard against the back of the guard's head
Nightingale's sneak attack vs. prone guard [1d20+9] = 16+9 = 25 Nightingale's blackjack damage [1d3x2] = 1x2 = 2 and knocks him senseless. The guard is utterly still, his spear and shield thrown ahead of him in the fall.

One of the two guards by the stairs holler out, "Sargeant?" and the sounds of double-time feet running on the cobbles grows louder from the direction of the city gate to the west.

Nightingale, motions urgently and wordlessly at Ker and Rhenmyr to get the hell out of dodge.

END OF COMBAT

 

[Siveon]

OOC

I've seriously never heard of the expression 'get the hell out of dodge' until just now. Threw me for a loop there.

So yeah, rope and hostage. Could work, won't have to worry about the guards nabbing us whilst we're climbing down. Who's in?

 

[nikolokolus]

OOC

No shit!? Jesus I must be fucking old

 

[ERYFKRAD]

OOC

No shit!? Jesus I must be fucking old

OOC

I have. But I ain't old at all.

Borric heads towards Rhenmyr and Ker.

Spoiler

A guard is probably too much trouble if kidnapped, plus we don't need that kind of heat.

 

[nikolokolus]

While Marcán and Borric dither briefly on the path overlooking the bluff, suddenly they hear a voice from the darkness that nearly startles them out of their skins, "Whatchya doin o'er here?" in the lightless gloom, you can barely make out the dim shape of a stooped figure - the voice is unmistakably that of the old beggar Hyginos. "Quickly! We must go, more guards are coming." He points over the side of the cliff down at the winding stairs where perhaps a dozen or more figures can be seen trudging quickly towards the top about 100 feet below. Hyginos dashes off north down the path, surprisingly nimble for a man of his years.

Meanwhile, Nightingale vigorously shoos at Ker and Rhenmyr to get a move on. In a heated whisper she says, "The back-door to the Optimate's! Now or we're cooked!" She then limps off down the narrow street favoring her right leg badly. The echoing footfalls of running, armor clad men sounds very close now.