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[Play-by-Post] Tales from Fourtower Bridge
- Thread starter Catacombs
- Start date
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Just roll.
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Mumbles and the Colonel walked around the town, looking for any suspicious- or mischievous-looking characters who could provide insight into the monastery.
It wasn't hard. In fact, it was too easy. The duo found a narrow but deep alley, where low shouts of "C'mon," "You got 'em," and "Pin him!" echoed to the street. Mumbles and the Colonel followed the voices. They turned a corner and found a ring of people watching two men fight, bare knuckle, in the middle.
A spectator turned to the duo.
"You both want in on this?" he asked quietly. "1GP for entry, and you have a chance of making 10 times that."
***
Brytter rose from his seat and told Kilur and Thomas he'd gather the horses at The Clover and prep them for departure. Mardrey heard the exchange as she came down the stairs and offered to help Brytter. The barbarian gave a small salute, and he and Mardrey left the library.
***
Kilur found a comfortable chair and perused "Erotic Encounters Elustrated," enjoying all the literary and visual wisdom the book imparted onto the dwarf. Garen gave casual glances toward Kilur when he heard the dwarf chuckle to himself, shaking his head in clear disapproval.
***
Thomas made good progress reading through the tomes, notes and journals Garen provided. He figured out the following:
The "monastery" wasn't actually a monastery, a place where religious monks go to find peace. Fifty or so years ago, the Brookhaven council approved and funded a construction project for a prison outside the town. The local prison was too small for the uptick in crime and banditry along the roads in and around the mountains. The council hired architects, builders and other handymen to aid in construction. The project took several years, but they built one of the strongest prisons within the mountains. The prison used its surroundings to its advantage: it's buried in the mountain, with only one way in or out. Additionally, they constructed a dizzying array of roadways and false paths from the entrance that deterred or made escaping down the mountain perilous. Thomas found additional details about the number of prisoners kept there -- it increased annually; the number of guards stationed -- it stayed flat; and requests from the warden for more resources, which, depending on the council chair, granted the request or denied it.
The prison operated for nearly two decades, housing some of the most dangerous criminals from around the mountains, ranging from common thieves and gamblers to dangerous murderers and magic wielders. Thomas discovered documents about the council's decision to close the prison. Their reasoning? A lack of funding.
News clippings, announcements and council meeting minutes were sparse on details about the closures, including the current location of the prisoners. Thomas found alerts for townsfolk to avoid the area at all costs, due to an uptick of disappearances. These events, he discovered, happened long before The Brotherhood's expedition.
Thomas also found small notes about a couple of expeditions from a "known organization" that went up to the "monastery." There weren't any outright
References to "monastery" appeared more often in recent meeting notes and journals. Thomas could not figure out why.
It wasn't hard. In fact, it was too easy. The duo found a narrow but deep alley, where low shouts of "C'mon," "You got 'em," and "Pin him!" echoed to the street. Mumbles and the Colonel followed the voices. They turned a corner and found a ring of people watching two men fight, bare knuckle, in the middle.
A spectator turned to the duo.
"You both want in on this?" he asked quietly. "1GP for entry, and you have a chance of making 10 times that."
***
Brytter rose from his seat and told Kilur and Thomas he'd gather the horses at The Clover and prep them for departure. Mardrey heard the exchange as she came down the stairs and offered to help Brytter. The barbarian gave a small salute, and he and Mardrey left the library.
***
Kilur found a comfortable chair and perused "Erotic Encounters Elustrated," enjoying all the literary and visual wisdom the book imparted onto the dwarf. Garen gave casual glances toward Kilur when he heard the dwarf chuckle to himself, shaking his head in clear disapproval.
***
Thomas made good progress reading through the tomes, notes and journals Garen provided. He figured out the following:
The "monastery" wasn't actually a monastery, a place where religious monks go to find peace. Fifty or so years ago, the Brookhaven council approved and funded a construction project for a prison outside the town. The local prison was too small for the uptick in crime and banditry along the roads in and around the mountains. The council hired architects, builders and other handymen to aid in construction. The project took several years, but they built one of the strongest prisons within the mountains. The prison used its surroundings to its advantage: it's buried in the mountain, with only one way in or out. Additionally, they constructed a dizzying array of roadways and false paths from the entrance that deterred or made escaping down the mountain perilous. Thomas found additional details about the number of prisoners kept there -- it increased annually; the number of guards stationed -- it stayed flat; and requests from the warden for more resources, which, depending on the council chair, granted the request or denied it.
The prison operated for nearly two decades, housing some of the most dangerous criminals from around the mountains, ranging from common thieves and gamblers to dangerous murderers and magic wielders. Thomas discovered documents about the council's decision to close the prison. Their reasoning? A lack of funding.
News clippings, announcements and council meeting minutes were sparse on details about the closures, including the current location of the prisoners. Thomas found alerts for townsfolk to avoid the area at all costs, due to an uptick of disappearances. These events, he discovered, happened long before The Brotherhood's expedition.
Thomas also found small notes about a couple of expeditions from a "known organization" that went up to the "monastery." There weren't any outright
References to "monastery" appeared more often in recent meeting notes and journals. Thomas could not figure out why.
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But it's sounds pretty cool. 
After god knows how much time, Kilur yawned and tossed the elven scribbles on the table. He could not understand a word, and he could look at shameless pictures only for so long.
"So, did ye find anything sensible? Anything about that treasures everyone talks about?" - he asked Tom, stretching after prolonged sitting. - "Do ye want to keep digging or we can go find our lads and decide what to do next?"
"A few things of interest to us - things that make me wonder why we weren't better informed by the Brotherhood." Tom spent a few minutes laying out the basics of what he'd found. "There's more, but that's the gist. I don't know that I can get more out of research here without a great deal more time invested. Let's go find everyone else and see what they have to say. We should probably decide how we want to work on this without Jess present. And speaking of, I'd like to get an update on what she's been doing in our absence."
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"And all this fuss for an old prison?! Bah, big deal! So let's go tell the others there is no damn treasure." - Kilur thanked the librarian on the way out, - "I can bet that Talen and his bandits moved in and use it as their lair. And them bastards got so cozy and lazy, so they started spreading rumors about the treasure, for all the dupes to walk right into their hands."
If the gang has not set a meeting point, the dwarf proposed to go back to the Clover, as at least Brytter and Mardrey should be there.
I see a few options.
1. We can dig more around town. If it's been about 30 years since the prison closed, the warden or some guards could still be alive.
Maybe they can tell us what to expect in regards to traps and security measures.
2. We can spin the conspiracy theory. Thalen expected another expedition from the Brotherhood. All we have is his note, which Y should have recognized as sent by Thalen. Maybe it has some hidden text with an Arcane Mark or something like that? We can also try to speak with Jess openly and see what she has to say.
3. Or we can go into the monastery, and see what's what.
1. We can dig more around town. If it's been about 30 years since the prison closed, the warden or some guards could still be alive.
Maybe they can tell us what to expect in regards to traps and security measures.
2. We can spin the conspiracy theory. Thalen expected another expedition from the Brotherhood. All we have is his note, which Y should have recognized as sent by Thalen. Maybe it has some hidden text with an Arcane Mark or something like that? We can also try to speak with Jess openly and see what she has to say.
3. Or we can go into the monastery, and see what's what.
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Give me 5 rolls of 1d20+proficiency bonus+strength modifier (unarmed combat) and paste the result here. I'll summarize the result.
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Check your charsheet, took the liberty of setting you up with an unarmed attack on your weapons list.
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- Joined
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"Oh yeah, baby, t's mighteh fine," Mumbles said. "Here, take dis here."
He handed the man 10 gold pieces, throwing him a smirk.
"If we winz, we gets 10 times that, yo," he added. "Now, go get your champions for some proper face smashin'."
"With pleasure," the man said, returning the smirk.
He gave a sharp whistle that caught everyone's attention, even the fighters in the ring.
"Oy!" the man shouted. "We got a big bag for Ulfred."
Everyone in the circle mumbled. Some whooped in excitement. Others shook their heads in displeasure.
"Get him in the ring!" someone in the crowd shouted.
"Ulfred! Ulfred!" another cried. "Another meal for ya!"
Two hulking men grabbed Mumbles by his arms and dragged him into the ring. The ground was sandy, with dried blood left over in the dirt. Mumbles looked around and saw a variety of people staring at him. Eyes buried into him like daggers. He played it cool.
A large man, even bigger than the two who dragged Mumbles out, pushed through the crowd and emerged on the other side of the ring. He stood over 6.5 feet tall, a giant of a man. He was bald and had a black beard. Blue tattoos covered his shirtless, muscular body. His arms looked like they could snap a metal beam in two.
The man who offered the match to Mumbles jumped into the ring. One could consider him the referee.
"Five rounds. All knuckles. Nothing below the waist," he said.
Ulfred and Mumbles nodded. The man raised his arm and sliced it down to start the fight.
The two sparred for four rounds. Mumbles landed a few good shots on Ulfred, to the crowd's surprise, but the heaping man landed devastating blows onto Mumbles. By the fifth round, Mumbles' face was mostly purple, with one eye swollen shut. Ulfred's body had purple marks all over, and his face bled from a broken nose and split lip. Still, no one could tell who would come out the winner.
The referee nearly called the fight over before Mumbles found an opportunity to strike: He mustered as much energy as he could and sprinted at Ulfred, faking a punch toward the giant's left side, causing him to lose his footing. Mumbles buried a haymaker into Ulfred's chin, forcing the man to lean back, giving Mumbles a chance to tackle him to the ground. Mumbles pinned Ulfred's arms with his knees and unloaded punch after punch into Ulfred's face. Two men pulled Mumbles off, and Ulfred laid on the floor bloody and nearly unconscious.
Whispers of "Holy shit" and "Did he really just do that?" echoed around the ring.
"That's enough!" the referee called out. "Fight over."
A few spectators clapped, but most remained silent. Stunned at the result.
The referee ran outside the ring and returned with a sack of coin.
"You got lucky here," the referee said, handing the sack to Mumbles. "You got really, really lucky."
Mumbles could only smile. But as he turned around to leave, the Colonel grabbed Mumbles' arm.
"Wait," the Colonel said sternly, looking at the referee. "We came here on a mission. What do you know about the monastery."
"The what?" the referee said; surprise flashed across his face. "I don't... know what you're talking about."
Someone in the crowd overheard the conversation.
"Why the FUCK are you asking about that Godforsaken place," a voice bellowed from the crowd.
Whispers turned into heated chatter, and many in the crowd turned toward Mumbles and the Colonel. Some throwing insults.
"You best leave here," the referee said. "Ulfred and a bunch of us came from there. No one brings it up. You best get going."
"No," the Colonel said flatly. "Tell us what you know."
The referee grabbed the Colonel by the shirt and pulled his face close. The Colonel could see a light reflect off the man's gold teeth. "Final warning," he said with a growl. "These guys came from the monastery, and they ain't too happy to rehash tales from within the mountain. They will gut you and your friend. Now go!"
That convinced the Colonel, and he helped Mumbles leave the alley. The sack of gold jingled in Mumbles pocket as the scurried out.
***
Kilur and Thomas returned to The Clover Inn to find Brytter, Mardrey and Jess outside with the horses. Thomas sensed his cat was near and received a flood of flashes from the past couple of hours: Jess sitting at a table. Jess eating food. Jess having a pint. Jess talking to Margaret at the front. Jess reading a small book. Jess writing some notes. Jess talking to Brytter and Mardrey. Jess waiting outside with the horses. The cat was bored and felt received Thomas was back. The cat was hungry and demanded to know when it'd get its well-deserved kibble.
The Colonel and Mumbles approached the group from the street. Mardrey gasped. Mumbles' face had swollen. He almost looked unrecognizable, save for a slit of white teeth holding a smirk.
"What in the nine Hells happened to you?" Jess asked.
He handed the man 10 gold pieces, throwing him a smirk.
"If we winz, we gets 10 times that, yo," he added. "Now, go get your champions for some proper face smashin'."
"With pleasure," the man said, returning the smirk.
He gave a sharp whistle that caught everyone's attention, even the fighters in the ring.
"Oy!" the man shouted. "We got a big bag for Ulfred."
Everyone in the circle mumbled. Some whooped in excitement. Others shook their heads in displeasure.
"Get him in the ring!" someone in the crowd shouted.
"Ulfred! Ulfred!" another cried. "Another meal for ya!"
Two hulking men grabbed Mumbles by his arms and dragged him into the ring. The ground was sandy, with dried blood left over in the dirt. Mumbles looked around and saw a variety of people staring at him. Eyes buried into him like daggers. He played it cool.
A large man, even bigger than the two who dragged Mumbles out, pushed through the crowd and emerged on the other side of the ring. He stood over 6.5 feet tall, a giant of a man. He was bald and had a black beard. Blue tattoos covered his shirtless, muscular body. His arms looked like they could snap a metal beam in two.
The man who offered the match to Mumbles jumped into the ring. One could consider him the referee.
"Five rounds. All knuckles. Nothing below the waist," he said.
Ulfred and Mumbles nodded. The man raised his arm and sliced it down to start the fight.
The two sparred for four rounds. Mumbles landed a few good shots on Ulfred, to the crowd's surprise, but the heaping man landed devastating blows onto Mumbles. By the fifth round, Mumbles' face was mostly purple, with one eye swollen shut. Ulfred's body had purple marks all over, and his face bled from a broken nose and split lip. Still, no one could tell who would come out the winner.
The referee nearly called the fight over before Mumbles found an opportunity to strike: He mustered as much energy as he could and sprinted at Ulfred, faking a punch toward the giant's left side, causing him to lose his footing. Mumbles buried a haymaker into Ulfred's chin, forcing the man to lean back, giving Mumbles a chance to tackle him to the ground. Mumbles pinned Ulfred's arms with his knees and unloaded punch after punch into Ulfred's face. Two men pulled Mumbles off, and Ulfred laid on the floor bloody and nearly unconscious.
Whispers of "Holy shit" and "Did he really just do that?" echoed around the ring.
"That's enough!" the referee called out. "Fight over."
A few spectators clapped, but most remained silent. Stunned at the result.
The referee ran outside the ring and returned with a sack of coin.
"You got lucky here," the referee said, handing the sack to Mumbles. "You got really, really lucky."
Mumbles could only smile. But as he turned around to leave, the Colonel grabbed Mumbles' arm.
"Wait," the Colonel said sternly, looking at the referee. "We came here on a mission. What do you know about the monastery."
"The what?" the referee said; surprise flashed across his face. "I don't... know what you're talking about."
Someone in the crowd overheard the conversation.
"Why the FUCK are you asking about that Godforsaken place," a voice bellowed from the crowd.
Whispers turned into heated chatter, and many in the crowd turned toward Mumbles and the Colonel. Some throwing insults.
"You best leave here," the referee said. "Ulfred and a bunch of us came from there. No one brings it up. You best get going."
"No," the Colonel said flatly. "Tell us what you know."
The referee grabbed the Colonel by the shirt and pulled his face close. The Colonel could see a light reflect off the man's gold teeth. "Final warning," he said with a growl. "These guys came from the monastery, and they ain't too happy to rehash tales from within the mountain. They will gut you and your friend. Now go!"
That convinced the Colonel, and he helped Mumbles leave the alley. The sack of gold jingled in Mumbles pocket as the scurried out.
***
Kilur and Thomas returned to The Clover Inn to find Brytter, Mardrey and Jess outside with the horses. Thomas sensed his cat was near and received a flood of flashes from the past couple of hours: Jess sitting at a table. Jess eating food. Jess having a pint. Jess talking to Margaret at the front. Jess reading a small book. Jess writing some notes. Jess talking to Brytter and Mardrey. Jess waiting outside with the horses. The cat was bored and felt received Thomas was back. The cat was hungry and demanded to know when it'd get its well-deserved kibble.
The Colonel and Mumbles approached the group from the street. Mardrey gasped. Mumbles' face had swollen. He almost looked unrecognizable, save for a slit of white teeth holding a smirk.
"What in the nine Hells happened to you?" Jess asked.
vazha
Arcane
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"Faceliftin' massage, yo." - Mumbled Mumbles, darkly.
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"Faceliftin' massage, yo," Mumbles mumbled, through his swollen face.
Jess looked alarmed.
"Are you... sure you're in the right condition to ride?" she asked.
Jess looked alarmed.
"Are you... sure you're in the right condition to ride?" she asked.
The half-orc suffered a good amount of damage during the first fight with Ulfred. I'd say he's at 25% health. He *can* ride, but he'll have trouble staying on his horse -- he'll need to roll animal handling on the ride, and if he fails, he'll fall off and take more damage -- through sheer weakness and the ability to only see through one eye.
Are you all ready to head out? Anything else you'd like to do in Brookhaven?
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Can Brytter or anyone else offer assistance in keeping Mumbles on the horse? Simply steadying him while he sways would keep him on saddle longer, I should think.
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"Faceliftin' massage, yo," Mumbles mumbled, through his swollen face.
"Hope ye gave more than yer took." - Kilur looked like he approved the massage results. - "Just say if ye want to go back for the seconds, after staring at elven shame for half the morning, I am in the mood for some face lifting myself!"
"Are you... sure you're in the right condition to ride?" she asked.
"Wait, lads. We have some news about the monastery. Before we go, we better talk it over."
Kilur proposed to retire to one of the Clover's larger rooms (he's even ready to pay for it) and discuss the plan, while Mumbles rest and recovers a bit. After sharing the info Tom has found, the dwarf proposed his version.
"So I bet that Thalen and his gang of highwaymen have settled in that prison. And we will be walking right into their lair. So this is the time we talk about yer part, lass." - Kilur looked Jess straight into the eyes and popped the question. - "I do not trust ye, Yessenia. Thalen knew to expect us, so he could sent ye to lure us into a trap. Yer name could be the one in his message here. And how the heck did ye know that Brytter here would be with us? And why warm beer tastes like horsepiss?"
"Hope ye gave more than yer took." - Kilur looked like he approved the massage results. - "Just say if ye want to go back for the seconds, after staring at elven shame for half the morning, I am in the mood for some face lifting myself!"
"Are you... sure you're in the right condition to ride?" she asked.
"Wait, lads. We have some news about the monastery. Before we go, we better talk it over."
Kilur proposed to retire to one of the Clover's larger rooms (he's even ready to pay for it) and discuss the plan, while Mumbles rest and recovers a bit. After sharing the info Tom has found, the dwarf proposed his version.
"So I bet that Thalen and his gang of highwaymen have settled in that prison. And we will be walking right into their lair. So this is the time we talk about yer part, lass." - Kilur looked Jess straight into the eyes and popped the question. - "I do not trust ye, Yessenia. Thalen knew to expect us, so he could sent ye to lure us into a trap. Yer name could be the one in his message here. And how the heck did ye know that Brytter here would be with us? And why warm beer tastes like horsepiss?"
There was "subdual" damage in 3E, exactly for the cases like fisticuffs. It could knock you out, but was easy to recover from. In 5E it's called "non-lethal" iirc, but not sure if it's applicable in this case.
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"Nay, master dwarf, we best be on the move. Let Mumbles rest upon the cart if needs be, but I think we have tarried here enough."
Brytter wondered how the dwarf knew the taste of horsepiss but elected to let blissful ignorance remain thus.
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Jess climbed onto her horse.
"I'd hate to disrupt the reunion, but we still have a good way ahead of us," she said.
Kilur looked Jess straight into her eyes.
"I do not trust ye, Yessenia," he said. "Thalen knew to expect us, so he could sent ye to lure us into a trap. Yer name could be the one in his message here. And how the heck did ye know that Brytter here would be with us? And why warm beer tastes like horsepiss?"
Jess scoffed and climbed off her horse. She pushed past the Colonel and nearly trampled over Mardrey. She bent down and grabbed Kilur with both her hands and slammed him up against the nearest wall. No one anticipated how quickly she moved.
"Thalen?" she hissed. "You think I'm working for Thalen? That scoundrel? That maniac? That piece of shit? I don't know where you get off making accusations that I work for one of the most notorious criminals in the mountains, but perhaps you've been drinking a lot of horsepiss to have your mind scrambled so badly like that."
She dropped Kilur.
"How did I know your barbarian friend was here? It's because my contact at the Brotherhood told me," she roared. "Whatever conspiracy theories you're cooking up about me, I won't have any of it. I'm here to do one job, and one job only: Take you up to the monastery and, god willing, bring you back safety. So, it wouldn't be in my best interest if you died, huh?"
She climbed back on her horse.
"Are we ready to leave?" she asked. "Here's a suggestion: Load the broken half-orc onto the cart. The ride will take a while, but we'll go slow so he can get some rest."
She pointed at Kilur and Thomas.
"If you all are in dire need of a conversation, then do it on the road. Like I said, the trip will take a bit, and there will be plenty of time for chit-chat. But, we must leave soon to take advantage of this weather. No telling when it'll turn. And if it does, we want to avoid getting caught flat-footed."
***
"I'd hate to disrupt the reunion, but we still have a good way ahead of us," she said.
Kilur looked Jess straight into her eyes.
"I do not trust ye, Yessenia," he said. "Thalen knew to expect us, so he could sent ye to lure us into a trap. Yer name could be the one in his message here. And how the heck did ye know that Brytter here would be with us? And why warm beer tastes like horsepiss?"
Jess scoffed and climbed off her horse. She pushed past the Colonel and nearly trampled over Mardrey. She bent down and grabbed Kilur with both her hands and slammed him up against the nearest wall. No one anticipated how quickly she moved.
"Thalen?" she hissed. "You think I'm working for Thalen? That scoundrel? That maniac? That piece of shit? I don't know where you get off making accusations that I work for one of the most notorious criminals in the mountains, but perhaps you've been drinking a lot of horsepiss to have your mind scrambled so badly like that."
She dropped Kilur.
"How did I know your barbarian friend was here? It's because my contact at the Brotherhood told me," she roared. "Whatever conspiracy theories you're cooking up about me, I won't have any of it. I'm here to do one job, and one job only: Take you up to the monastery and, god willing, bring you back safety. So, it wouldn't be in my best interest if you died, huh?"
She climbed back on her horse.
"Are we ready to leave?" she asked. "Here's a suggestion: Load the broken half-orc onto the cart. The ride will take a while, but we'll go slow so he can get some rest."
She pointed at Kilur and Thomas.
"If you all are in dire need of a conversation, then do it on the road. Like I said, the trip will take a bit, and there will be plenty of time for chit-chat. But, we must leave soon to take advantage of this weather. No telling when it'll turn. And if it does, we want to avoid getting caught flat-footed."
***
Yes, that's possible.
Yes. That's also an option.
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