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[LB] In the Brig (ALL 1.1)
The five of you were searched, stripped of weapons, and tossed into a holding cell, the brig. There are a half dozen guards in the room outside of the brig where your gear was stored. For right now, you're locked behind a giant cog door. It's just the five of you here in this cell. Plus a toilet and four bunk beds.
Naomi Bishop... how is that you let yourself be captured by a bunch of Imperials again?
Kale Arkam... why is it that The Owl was caught flying a false flag? Where did you get that thing?
Lady Blackbird... how does the crew of The Owl know you? You've been traveling together for a few weeks before this happened, do they even know who you really are?
Snargle... who did you protect when the Imperials came on board? What went wrong?
Captain Vance... when were you last on the Hand of Sorrow, and why did you swear you'd never step foot on her again?
Comments
Snargle did her best to protect our whole complement, passengers and crew alike. She zigged and she zagged, but in the end, the Hand of Sorrow managed to gobble The Owl up. Once the Imperials boarded, Snargle tried to protect her Captain. Snargle snuck and schemed and changed her shape, trying to look like an Imperial herself, to "transfer the prisoner to Detention Block AA-23," but her impersonation was unconvincing, and a blow to the head ended the charade.
Now, behind the cog door? Snargle says, "Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to die here." She smiles, showing a lot of teeth.
The crew of The Owl knows me as Galena. That was the name given to me in honor of my mother's favorite fairytale. The most prized flower in the royal garden, Galena, fell in love with a tree past the gates of the keep, and abandoned the bed of fellow flora to be at its side. It seemed like a fitting falsehood, given my circumstances.
They do not know my true identity. I feel that will be a trump card for later use, if need be. I am a flower, and The Remnants is the haunted forest where I will find my tree.
I purse my lips, hearing the footsteps of the guards just outside the door, fearing the poor little blossom will die in this frost before reaching the arms of The Pirate King.
I told him that I had become enamored with the songs of the Sky Squids, and wished to see them up close. It seemed like a legitimate request to me.
I almost have to wonder the same thing as I sit here on the floor beside the Lady's cot: how did I end up imprisoned by Imperials again? This plan wasn't without risk, but this isn't the sort of trouble I had imagined. If my smoldering glares don't make it obvious, I blame our captain and his crew for attracting the attention of the Imperials in the first place.
As for the specifics, the Imperials fight dirty. As soon as they put a gun to Kale's head and threatened to pull the trigger, I knew it was time to stop. I have blood on my hands, but I'm no Imperial...I won't stand by and watch someone else be hurt.
I mutter on the bed in the corner to no one in particular.
Damn Tansy. Damn her ta the lower depths. May she feel the slick embrace of the Mother Squid!
I paid double, double, for that blasted banner! I shoulda known better then trust Tansy after the last time. “Tricky Tansy” they should call her. “Tansy the Trashmonger” maybe.
I interrupt myself and walk over to the captain.
I’m real sorry, Cap. I knew Tansy growin up, but that shoulda been my first clue to stay away from her. Figures these brass-beaters saw right through it.
I look away and squint my eyes.
Now that I think about it, doesn’t House Mooncloud have purple on blue not blue on purple…
Cyrus is lying, flat on his back, in the center of the cell, arms behind his head. He half shrugs at Kale's seemingly rhetorical question.
"Don't much matter what Mooncloud's colors are and, just bein' honest, I couldn't tell ya. You're right about Tansy, though, I'll tell ya. E'er way, we're still stuck in this here luxury suite, ain't we?"
Cyrus glances nonchalantly around the cell. "Is this the one I was in, before?" he wonders to himself. "They's basically each twins of each other, so no tellin'." Then his eyes fall on some scratches in the corner; a series of hashmarks counting days. Cyrus adds them up. 178.
"Well I'll be, this was the one," he says to himself, mostly under his breath.
He looks at the bed that Kale is sitting on and thinks "I used to lie in that there bed, lookin' right at this here ceiling, and promise myself that when I got out, I'd never set foot on the Sorrow or any other Imperial boat again." He instinctively felt for his missing pinky finger with his thumb and rolled his tongue over the missing teeth in the back of his mouth. Always just seemed to happen when he thought about those days. When Captain Hollas thinks you know the location of a smuggler's den because he hears a rumor that you and one of the pirates who hangs out there used to have a little romance going before your joined the army, he don't think much of slowly nicking away at your person till you tell him.
That's the kind of thing that makes a person not want to come back somewhere.
Putting that out of his mind, Cryus looks around the cell and asks "So anyone have any ideas?"
I chew on my lower lip. "They took my purse. It had my mother's pearls in it." Aggravated, I drum my fingers against the mattress of the bunk. Robbing me of my weapons wasn't enough, they had to take my favorite necklace, and the coin I had promised the Captain. Men of the sky did not take passengers for free, and this was my only chance. I must escape the Hand of Sorrow, or all hope of escaping my marriage will be lost.
My cold gray eyes narrow, and I feel as if the freckles that paint my cheekbones are glowering. "All this trouble over a square of cloth...I'll give them trouble."
"Chewin' her lip and drummin' her fingers on the cot like that. Some help this one is. We're in a whole mess o' trouble and here she is just....."
As the thought stopped dead in Cyrus' mind, he realized that he had been staring at Galena for an uncomfortably long time. "Lot of freckles, this one. Lot. Of. Freckles." His eyes widened in embarrassment and he forced himself to resume his original train of thought.
".....wastin' her time. That's right! Wastin' her time."
Satisfied in his delusion, he turned to Snargle. "Yer right, friend. We ain't gonna die here. Not today at least. If I get you out of this cell, think you could impersonate a guard? Unless anyone else has an idea?"
Wow. I felt the cot I’d been sitting on with a newfound reverence. The captain had slept in this very bed back before he went on his adventures. Or more like in the middle of one of his first adventures. He might not’ve been much older than me then.
I notice a row of scratches in the wall. Maybe the captain carved these too. There was more under it.
“Brass-beaters kin suk it!!!”
That could’ve been Captain Vance. Maybe. I trace the grooves imagining a boy, a boy that mayhaps couldn’t spell real good.
“Goblinz 4Life”
Hmm, ok, pretty likely other people had been kept here too.
Quit wastin’ time, Kale, ya dumb gutter-crab! I shoot out of the bed and hurry over to the captain’s side.
Good idea, Cap. I was able to hold on to some stuff when they patted us down, but I don’t know if I’s anything that might help us out against that cog.</b?
I feel the string of pearls in my sixth pocket. I probably should give these back to the miss, but I don’t really like how the captain’s been lookin' at her as late. Should probably hang on to these for a little bit.
Just in case.
I wince, putting a hand to the back of my head. "Ah, Captain Sir? Snargle's last attempt to look, ah, Imperial, ended with a thud. And a whimper. But Snargle will try again." A snaggle-toothed grin, followed by a backflip and an exaggerated bow to Captain Vance.
Cyrus stands up, brushes himself off, and turns to Naomi.
"You seem able ta' handle yerself. When Snargle gets this door open, best be ready to protect our passenger here, eh?" The Captain gestures nervously to Galena, then shoots her an overconfident, beaming smile. "We'll be back on our way quick as a hare, miss. Just a minor setback in the plans, is all."
With that, Cyrus puts his arm around Snargle, tips his hat to Galena and Naomi, gives a knowing look to Kale, waits until he can't hear any guards outside the cell, and then teleports himself and Snarlge outside the door with brief puff of smoke.
The brig itself is a simple affair. Tarnished bronze and cold iron bars with a pneumatic lock which is operated by a large control panel that sits on the other side of that big cog-shaped door.
EDIT: The locks on each individual cell are controlled by a pneumatic mechanism that is housed inside the door. There are no areas to pick or place keys. The locks are operated individually or all at once via a set of toggles on a control panel in the guard room.
Above, the ceiling is metal with a pair of very hot steam pipes. The room, as a result of the steam pipes, is humid and hot.
GM's crappy little map
Snargle... when was the last time Vance teleported you somewhere?
Vance... how does it feel when you traverse space like that?
Captain Vance and Snargle stand on the other side of the bronze and iron bars, in a hallway with another cell across from you, two more down the hall, and the big cog door at the end.
There are sleeping prisoners in the cell diagonal to your position, and a lone prisoner sitting on their bed to your right, huddled under a blanket and watching, their dark eyes gleaming from under the blanket.
OOC: Vance, if after seeing the layout, you want a do-over, that's cool. Just say so in Table Chatter
Minor setback? Sitting in the brig aboard an Imperial ship is a minor setback? I'd hate to see what a major setback would be... But, I suppose, if they have a plan...
Like the others, I rise. I'm pretty agile, so it looks pretty graceful, simple an action though it is. "Sure. I owe one a'them for earlier." My left temple still stings a bit, but it's more of a bruise than a cut. I've been hit harder, but there's something particularly irritating about being clocked with a pistol after you've already surrendered.
I know how much those pearls mean to the lady, how she felt about her mother and all that. That's not something I want to take away from her. I don't care about the rest of the stuff -- but we aren't leaving without the lady's pearls if I have anything to say about it. "You know where--" The pair vanish before I can finish my question or make my point, which just irritates me a little more. So I go ahead and finish it anyway, even if it sounds a bit lame even in my ears. "--they got her purse."
"...worry not, Naomi." I watch my protector rise with poise. "Worldly possessions are not as valuable as human life. Perhaps, I should learn to-"
I fan away the sudden puff of smoke from my face, glaring at the man that was no longer there. The Captain had been looking at me for days with eyes that might as well've been waving a banner:
You're nothing but a pretty face.
My thumb brushes against the gold armour I wear on my trigger finger. I expose the palm of my other hand. There is a scar, like the impression left in soil a carriage wheel leaves behind after taking the same path for generations. It is the symbol I carve into my flesh. It is the scent of my blood that calls to them. I close my eyes, and murmur the words. The slumbering storm clouds awaken. As if the lighting swirling within have eyes, they peer at me with childlike anticipation.
"...wait patiently, little ones."
OOC: Do over? Never! This is Captain Cyrus Vance we're talking about!
Cyrus shivers a bit. Traversing like that... always so... cold. Odd, isn't it? Whenever Cyrus does it he has this little flicker that occupies his mind for a second. "Am I right dead when I blink out? Is that what it's like on the other side? All cold and black like that?" He's never known why he can do it, just that he can do it. As such, thoughts like these pop into his mind with a striking regularity.
"No time now," he thinks. "We gotta get Galena out of there. And Kale and Naomi, of course, of course."
He peers down the hallway. "Snargle my friend, mayhaps you can be an imperial and pretend you just caught me? Might give us some leeway to wander around unmolested in these here halls. If I remember the layout proper I bet they've got our stuff right up yonder past that door..."
With a shiver of my own, I recall Captain Sir taking hold of me and whisking me away from the burning wreckage of my last ship. That was not the last time, but it was the first.
"Captain Sir and Snargle will get Lady Freckles and the Dark Fighter... and Kale, of course, of course, out!" A single finger goes up to say, "Wait for it!"
My body stretches and changes, growing taller and broader. The skin tone, too. I know this much, because I feel it. How successfully? Unknown.
I experiment with my voice, trying to mimic the guard that conked me on the head, then step to the door and pound on it. "Oy, y'locked Snargle in, mate! Snargle ain't meant to be kept in here wi' this lot! Snargle's a Imperial Guard!"
Now, if you get 5 successes, you can fool just about anyone on the ship, for a while.
Vance, if you can think of a way to Help Snargle, give him one of your Pool dice.
Cyrus leans over to Snargle and begins whispering imerpial solider type stuff to help her know what to say.
(Whispering) "Prisoner transfer from block B right here. He was processed wrong by some new fella over there."
Snargle- take a die.
Trait: Sly (1d)
Tags: Crafty, Bluff (2d)
Captain Sir's Help: (1d)
Pool Dice: (3d)
(Rolled: 8d6. Rolls: 2, 3, 5, 3, 1, 5, 3, 2. Total: 24)
Then to your right, from the cell with the figure huddled in the blanket, a female voice screams out, "That there aint no GUARD! It's the thrice-damned gobbie what turned! I seen it with my own eye!" She pulls the blanket back to reveal an eye-patch wearing olive-skinned woman with more ink than skin and a bright, golden tooth.
Snargle, why does the pirate Mary Glaring hate you so much?
Vance, how long ago was it that you were "up close and personal" with Mary Glaring? Why didn't that work out?
Naomi, what did you do with Mary's eye, anyways?
Everyone heard that. That door is not coming open right now. Those guards are probably arming up to come in and drag you back to your cell.
What do you do?
Cyrus whispers to Snargle:
Don't worry about this one, friend, I'll take care of her. You just make sure you keep on lookin' all imperial and saying stuff about a prisoner transfer!
OOC: That's the Secret of Leadership! Reroll if Snargle wants it.
Then Cyrus turns his attention towards ol' Mary.
Oh Mary. Mary, Mary, Mary. She and I shared shared an undeniably fun long weekend in Nightport a few years back. Looks like she's still smarting over the fact that when Indigo Red came with her goons to collect the money Mary owed her, I split faster than a kitten who just spilled the milk. I mean, yes, hardly the gentlemanly thing to do, but much as I like Mary, I like not running afoul of Indigo even more. Wonder how that turned out for her?
"Oh, Mary! There you go again, always tellin' stories! Still mad about me snubbin' ya, are ya? Well if this here guard wants to open yer door, I'd be happy to let you take the first swing at me for old times sake! How bout it imperial, you want to see a lovers spat between me and this here liar?"
Spine straight. Not thinking about Mary. Sure, maybe goblins killed her husband, but not this goblin!
"Oy. Snargle said Snargle has a pris'ner ta transfer! Open up the door!"
(Rolled: 8d6. Rolls: 3, 6, 3, 5, 4, 4, 2, 4. Total: 31)
"Oh aye, Cyrus." Mary says low and cruel. "I want a swing. Or three. On yer face! Come closer, pet. I'll show ya what Indigo did ta me! Ya lilly-livered kitten!" She flexes her right hand, showing her sharp nails that she's filed to wicked edges.
Snargle... "Sergeant Snargle?" you hear from the other side of the door. The slot opens up again, those eyes appear and he looks at you again. "I didn't realize it was you, Sergeant!" He turns to his fellows, "It's the Sarge! Open up the door."
All... the cog door begins rolling open.
Kale, Galena and Naomi... are you doing anything in the cell?
Ugh, Mary Glaring. If there's one thing I hate, it's bein' poor. Number two would hafta be Brass-Beaters. Ok, I guess I gotta lot to hate, but Mary Glaring is up there! Top ten at least.
Aw, shut it! You couldn't hit the Cap even when you had two peeps. If ya come over here, I can give ya a lesson on face hittin. Though with all that squid ink you'd like stain up my gloves.
I grab the bars that separate the cells and shake my fist all menacing. When she looks over at me though, I hate to say it, but my traitorous legs take me back behind Naomi.
(Rolled: 6d6 . Rolls: 5, 1, 2, 6, 1, 6. Total: 21)
--------------------
Mary Glaring jumps in surprise and shock, then rolls out of her bunk and then under it, taking the only cover there is in the small cell.
"You will not attack the captain, and you will let us continue in our escape attempt." I glare at her through the bars. "If you impede us further, I will char you black and not even shed a tear."
DID YOU KNOW SHE COULD DO THAT?!?!?
One of you had an inkling, right? Who did?
(first to claim it, takes it)
I jump near out of my skin. I shoulda known she was a channeler. Lotsa those fancy types are. Not all of em, but seems it's commoner the less common you are.
If I'm bein honest, I kinda had a feeling. Those that cast, like me, there's something about them that feels ... right. Like they's part of my family. Not that I'd know what havin a family's like.
But that, that, wasn't anything I could ever do!
"Sergeant Snargle" has a nice ring to it. "Right. Pop the door t'the cell with the new pris'ners while yer at it! Got to transfer 'em all." Sergeant Snargle thinks for a second, then adds. "Oy! Faster, you lot! Why ain't that cell door open yet?"
Lady Freckles throws lightning around like candy at a parade? Sergeant Snargle would never have guessed! Still, those eyes... Sergeant Snargle shouldn't have been too surprised.
The cog door starts rolling open. In moments, Sergeant Snargle will begin his prisoner transfer of Captain Vance.
What do you do?
First off, when Galena does that, Cyrus' jaw drops open just a little bit. He's clearly surprised.
Second, I want to get a sense for what's going on in that room. As soon as the door opens up, Cyrus is going to begin sizing up who's in there and what's going on. HIs ultimate goal is to grab himself a keyring.
It isn't as gruesome as it sounds. It wasn't even a real eye -- I honestly can't tell you what happened to Mary's original one, so don't ask -- and I didn't even have to pry it out of her head. The fall from the second-floor landing did that for me. All I had to do was pick it up off the floor.
I don't really understand the specifics, and I don't care. Mary could use that eye more effectively than any weapon by using it to look deep down inside somebody to pull out all their secrets. Lucky for us, that won't be a problem today. On my way out of town, I left it with some urchins playing marbles on the street. Who knows what happened to it? Kids aren't real careful with their things...
The thought makes me smile faintly as I remain patiently vigilant beside the door with my arms folded beneath my breasts as Kale...well, I think it was an attempt at bravado, but it's hard to be sure. The lightning, though, earns a glance that looks considerably less amused. Didn't we talk about the danger of being flashy? And that right there was flashy.
I wait until the last of the sparks fizzle out before closing my fist to help stop the bleeding. I can feel Naomi looking at me. I return her gaze with a sheepish look, but I was never really good at pulling that off.
Mary forced my hand. Now, the crew had to know.
"And, Mary..."
I grin toothily as I give into the destructive tempest that is my bloodline. "...a Blackbird does not make the same threat twice."
If so, the key is gone, forever. You can never take it again. However, in exchange, you get TWO advances!
Well, that cat's out of the bag. In fact, it's out of the room, down the street, and probably halfway back to Ilysium by now. And we had been doing so well...
Smugglers and criminals aren't exactly a noble breed, and I've no doubt that every single person on this side of the door -- yes, every single one of them, including the Owl and her crew and especially Mary Glaring -- is now thinking of how to best make money off of this information...
Looks like this trip is about to get a lot more interesting... "I think it's best you stop talking now," I mutter and turn to impose myself between my charge and the woman who clearly has her so riled up, hoping that I'll give her something else to focus on before she decides to tell the brig our entire plan.
"A Black--?" "A Blackber--" Wait, did you say "a Blackbird?" As in a House Blackbird, um, Person?
I stare at her and know it's true. I snatch off my hat and curtsy as best I can. I trouble to enunciate every word. Good. Marrow. On to You. Mi'lady.
It's a dance I learned after the first dozen or so times a gettin beat for wearin a hat and actin improper when a House Lady or Gentleman walked by.
I knew Galena was rich, and definitely spoiled, and way too close to the Cap for my liking, but a Blackbird? Well, it'd explain them fireworks, sure.
Kidnapping someone from one of the Houses earns you a noose on most of the rocks. Although on others it'd get you a round of drinks.
This could make things a mite more cagey. But we can handle cagey--it wouldn't be the first time. And we got our Cap, he'll sort all this out. Hell, I wouldn't be much surprised if he knew the whole time.
...
The real question, though, is how best can we make money off this information.
GM's updated crappy little map
There are a half dozen guards in the room as the cog door rolls open.
G1 and G2 are both moving the card table over and putting chairs away. The group of guards were playing cards until Sgt. Snargle made a fuss.
G3 and G4 are standing near the entrance, standing with billy clubs. You know, in case the prisoner is trouble. Or if he needs to be roughed up. Or taught a lesson.
G5 is operating the controls for the cog door, which look like this:
G6 is standing by the door. Just in case.
Vance, question - how do things work in the Imperial Navy? Men serve, but what about women? What about non-humans?
The noise and the door, not to mention the lightning, wakes up the pair of prisoners who were sleeping. One is male, the other female.
Kale or Naomi, you know the first one of them. Who are they?
Lady Blackbird, you know the other one. You'd heard they were dead, but instead, they've been rotting in a cage. What did they do to you long ago that you'll never forget?
It was the last time...the final moment before I was separated from my beloved, Uriah Flint.
I do not recall if it was friendly fire, or if it was intentional, or even which side the bullet came from...but it was then I saw her face. Blood soaked my corset, and my body went numb as I collapsed onto the deck. I could hear Uriah screaming out my name as the world began to go dark.
My spilled blood had called out the clouds, but the only words I managed to say were...
...save him.
My grip around the bars tighten and my knuckles go white. If it weren't for her, I would still be at his side.
OOC: I think I want an empire that's easy to dislike, so let's add sexism to their list of societal ills: only men serve. They're perfectly happy to watch women fight for their entertainment in the pits, but in the military? Of course not! The blue bloods fancy themselves much too chivalrous for that sort of thing.
Cyrus' plan is, before stepping into the room, to shake loose and run back down the hallway, ideally drawing at least some of the guards back towards the cell, especially since (a) he now knows Galena... er... excuse me... Lady Blackbird (?) can, you know, shoot lightning, and (b) that Naomi seems like she can handle herself. And Kale? Kale's Kale. He'll know what to do when the time comes.
As ordered by the good Sergeant (five successes), the guard by the controls opens the cell door for Lady Blackbird, Kale and Naomi. "Sarge, why did you want their cell door open after all?"
One of the guards near the door sniffs the air, then asks, "Do you smell ozone?"
Lady Blackbird, Kale Arkam and Naomi Bishop...
Your cell door opens right up.
What do you do?
"Soldier, are you asking Sergeant Snargle questions? If Sergeant Snargle says 'Jump', what do you say? You say, 'How high, Sergeant Snargle? How high?' "
This is the moment Sergeant Snargle is uncertain about. Captain Vance is the Captain, and apparently Lady Freckles is really a LADY, but Sergeant Snargle is supposed to be in charge.
Ummm. "Oy! Pris'ners form up fer transfer. Two by two, like."
I glance sharply towards Kale, then include Lady Blackbird in my gaze. The door opens loudly behind me, and I can hear Snargle ordering us out. "If you're done showing off, maybe you'll keep outta trouble and let me do my job." Just because I happen to like the lady makes her no less of a noble...or a petulant child.
I shoot another look in Kale's direction. "Stay behind me."
Snargle said two-by-two, but I step out of the cell alone. I have to try to keep myself between the lady, Kale, and the guards -- can't have them using them as leverage against me again.
The man in the cell opposite Mary's is an old...ally. I wouldn't count him a friend, but I might have if I had met him in another place. You don't make friends in the pit; you make allies, and you hope you won't have to draw their blood someday. I haven't seen him since I left -- and I hadn't given him or many others from that place much thought in the time since.
Yes, my idea is to try and draw the guards back out into the hallway where Naomi, Kale, Naomi, LB, and mostly Naomi will be waiting to pound them into oblivion. If there were two guards in that room I was going to try to be heroic and dashing and take them on myself. Six guards? I'm gonna need some back up.
Cyrus shakes his hand free of Snargle and yells out "You'll never catch me, Sergeant Snargle! Free at Last!" and goes dashing back towards the now opening cell door to meet up with the rest of the crew. Time to fight our way out of this situation, me thinks...
My resolve dissolves slightly, and I shrink a little at my bodyguard's words. "...yes, ma'am."
Even a self-indulgent lady knows to pick her fights. I might know how to cast magic, and use a weapon, but I know my keep. Her strengths are strengths I do not have, and I only still have a pulse now because of her.
"I thought crisped Imperials would make you happy..." I probably sound more like a child that can't seem to win their parent's approval than a grown adult.
Are you chasing after Vance or staying in the guard room?
Naomi and Kale...
Vance is running towards you, the cell doors are opening. What do you do?
Once those doors slid open enough for me to fit through, I was already on the other side. I couldn’t help but smile when I let Naomi walk past. Kale’s a bit quicker than she was wagerin I’d guess.
I didn’t question her though. I fell in line right behind the princess lady (not so close behind though, usually I avoid walking in front of cannons if I can help it) and got ready to hurt some Brass-Beaters.
"Later," I tell the girl. I don't even turn; I'm still striding forward, and I'm picking up momentum as I move to meet Vance partway and to put some distance between myself and my charges. My muscles are wound tight in preparation for the coming fight. This is no time to have a chat about what condition I'd like to see Imperials in...
Besides, it's much more satisfying to do it myself.
"Sergeant Snargle said for the pris'ners to line up! We ain't got time ta play tag!"
A little birdie told me you wanted to get the drop on the first guard coming through the cog door. I think that's an easy challenge (2) to get up to him. If you want to put him down, that's difficult (3).
I nod and wink at Naomi and go start soft-paddin up to the door. Those two sleeping prisoners give me a look but I take a second to put my finger up to my mouth. Shhh!
Let’s see if I can’t pull off the ol' Fathom Street Funride--the one where I jump on a goon’s back and beat em till they get bloody.
(Rolled: 6d6. Rolls: 2, 3, 6, 2, 2, 2. Total: 17)
(Rolled: 1d6.. Rolls: 1. Total: 1)
Lady Blackbird: you've hit Key of Paragon for your attitude about the pearls (mentioning their loss, but then proving you're superior by valuing human life over possessions, very paragon)
Naomi Bishop: you've just hit the Key of Guardian for talking Lady B down and making sure she's safe as these guards come in. Pretty sure you'll be hitting the other two Keys soon...
Cyrus Vance: You are hitting the Key of Hidden Longing with this foolish action (and the long looks) I need to see some more order-giving (out loud) to justify Key of Commander, but it's close.
Kale Arkam: Totally Key of Greed. Key of Fraternity is hitting right now.
Snargle: you've gotten two for Banter. You're close to Daredevil right now, I think.
Captain Vance, you reach the Lady Blackbird as Naomi and Kale move past you, both heading for the guards in the tumult. You two have a moment before the fight is truly on. But Lady Blackbird, the woman in the other cell, her name's Caess, she's waiting for the pit fighter to get out of her way and she's coming towards you.
Here she is:
Kale, you try to sneak up on G3, but Mary Glaring yells, "Watch out!" and the guard, a blonde fellow with quite nice, thick sideburns, whacks you across the head with his billy club. You now have the condition Injured. Where are you going to bruise, and what do you do? Better do something quick, he's going to hit you again.
(fighting him is a challenge of 3)
Naomi, you're walking up on G4, G2 and G1. Your old pit "ally", named Jonas, steps out of his cell. Here he is:
He doesn't have some quip, doesn't talk at all. He just wants to get out of here. Those Imps are in your way, what are you doing?
(fighting these three guards is a challenge of 4.)
Snargle. Sorry, Sergeant Snargle, in the chaos of the prisoner breakout (you'd think the prison guards would be a better job at this whole thing. I mean, honestly!), you're sort of forgotten. Standing by the man at the controls (G5), who is now furiously trying to close the Cog Door again. The guard at the door is about to duck into the hallway and raise an alarm. What are you doing?
(If you want to take out G5, it's an east challenge of 2. If you want to not kill him, that's tougher, a difficult challenge of 3.)
GAME ON!
Ouch! Right in shoulder. No time to thinka that now. It's not the first I's been bonked by a Brass-Beater. The bigger problem is Blonde-Burns over here is ready for round two.
I'm not usually one for round twos. Jumpin out of dark places for round ones and then jumpin right back is more my style.
I'm gettin ready to do just that when I see into the room behind em. Looks like a Brass-Beater's bout to go off and sing to his friends. That would be much worse.
But gettin sapped again wouldn't be lovely either.
I wish the Cap were in my shoes. He'd be better at the heroics. But, it's just dumb little Kale gettin in trouble like always.
Maybe I can do somethin that could make em proud for once.
(The plan is to grit my teeth and try to duck past this guard and get into that control room. If that works, next on the docket is ta slow that runner down, hopefully with Snarg's help.)
And MORE guards are there. You're headed for G6 at the door? Stopping him is a challenge of 3.
I back away from her as adrenaline consumes my common sense, not even aware of the Captain that is beside me. My left hands shakes, my pounding heart causing the bloody carving to drip down my fingers. "....stay away from me...or I'll do to you what you did to me."
I give Jonas a nod, and my fingertips of my first two fingers rise briefly to touch my heart. It's a greeting, a way to say I recognize and respect him. My two fingers, initially pressed together, become my thumb and three more splayed out, then just my forefinger. Pit sign is a quick and dirty language, meant to convey information when words aren't allowed. You ever wonder how combatants seem to naturally find one another in the melees? Sometimes, it looks almost coordinated... Our dirty secret, of course, is that it usually is...but they're coordinated on our terms as the fight begins.
This isn't the pit -- but he's a familiar presence at my back, and that's enough for me.
I leave the guard in the doorway -- didn't I tell that kid to stay behind me? -- and focus on the bigger target inside the room, the one that's most dangerous but also the one that could hurt us the most if they get through the door. This isn't my first time being out-numbered -- it raises the stakes, makes my heart jump and my blood hum so loud in my ears that I couldn't hear even if there were hundreds of people screaming for blood. Everything else fades away but for the adrenaline singing out for battle and violence. My feet barely touch the ground as I bolt through the cog door and lunge for the first guard. (G4)
(Rolled: 10d6. Rolls: 2, 2, 2, 6, 6, 5, 5, 2, 4, 5. Total: 39)
I'm not entirely sure the first guard (G4) even sees me coming. His head is turned towards the controls, probably trying to evaluate whether or not the other guard will get it closed in time. My hand slips around his neck as my leg catches him behind his knee. He's turning to face me as he goes down, and my hand at his throat helps to guide him down onto the floor with that much more force. I feel the air go out of his lungs in a whoosh, and I'm already shifting from a crouch into a second attack.
The second guard (G1) is reacting to my presence too slowly. He's bringing out a club; I grab his wrist and snap it back. It clicks -- a satisfying sound -- and the club clatters to the ground at our feet. I'm still holding his wrist as I dance sideways to avoid the third guard's (G2) club. The movement pulls the second guy forward in my place, and his pal his him hard. I let him go as he reaches for his bleeding nose.
The third guard is surprised as my elbow catches him in the teeth. I knee him in the groin -- all's fair -- and when he doubles over, I lock both hands into a fist and apply my attack to the back of his head with no small amount of strength. He crumples face-first into the floor, and I swing back to the second guy.
Can you believe it? He's reaching for his club, like he actually thinks that's going to help. I punch him, hard, and I follow him as he falls sideways. I'm pretty sure his jaw is broken now in addition to his nose, but I don't care: I keep punching him until his face looks like jelly.
The first guy has recovered by now. He's pulling himself up off the floor, but my boot catching him in the jaw ends that. His head snaps back hard against the floor, and I turn my attention to the rest of the room.
Who else thinks trying to hit me with a club is a good idea? Or, hell, who's just standing around with his thumb up his ass? When it comes to beating the hell out of Imperials, I'm not picky.
Even with my bum shoulder it's easy to dodge and weave around Blonde-Burns. All that armor weighs these Imperial types down. Never understood the reasonin there myself.
When I roll into the new room, I realize that I'm newly surrounded by six Brass-Beaters insteada the one. (Oh, wait, I think one of em's Snargs?)
Most of em look at me and I freeze. Aw, squids.
But all of a sudden, they got a bigger problem to cuss about. Naomi rampages in behind me. I like her. Probably don't want to get her mad, but I like her.
Oh, yeah that runner!
I shift-pad over to that rickety card table and spring off it with hopes of catchin this cat unawares, Fathom Street Style. If nothin else at least a flying ball of gutter-crab could scare him away from the door. Or here's hopin.
1+Tricky+quick+tumbler+3
(Rolled: 7d6.. Rolls: 4, 1, 4, 4, 5, 1, 6. Total: 25)
Sergeant Snargle turns to the guard trying to close the door (G5). "Oy, did Sergeant Snargle tell to close the door?" When he turns to look at Sergeant Snargle, that's when Sergeant Snargle makes a move.
Snargle tries to take out the soldier without killing him. Snargle is a goblin, which means Snargle is quick, so the soldier will be surprised (Snargle hopes) at how quickly Snargle leaps up to flip over his head (tumbler) catching his neck in a tight grips with the claws that have once again sprung from Snargle's long fingers.
5 for trait and tags, plus three pool dice.
(Rolled: 8d6. Rolls: 5, 4, 4, 4, 1, 5, 4, 2. Total: 29)
Everything's going according to plan!
"Kale! Our stuff should be right their in the locker to the right! GRAB MY GUNS! I'll be right behind you and we'll see if we can raise some hell!"
Cyrus turns to Lady Blackbird.
"You want to stay here or come with Galen... uh... Lady?"
You have a moment to grab your gear and figure out what to do next.
Lady Blackbird and Captain Vance...
The female prisoner approaches Lady Blackbird, her face scuffed and dirty from her time in the brig, but her eyes are clear and focused. She only has eyes for the Lady.
"Natasha Syri. You were fool-headed then, and you're no better now, are ye?" Caess sayd, her voice chilly as the wind outside. "What are ye plannin' to do? Call down lightning from the skies? This here ship's a rather excellent conductor. Would ye execute so many?" She holds your gaze, then looks away as if she finds you lacking. She mutters, barely audible, "Of course ye will."
"...I've become quite accurate." The impatient noble in me tries to interject. The woman is unarmed, what could she possibly do? Why not just have the Captain earn what you paid him?
The clouds are stirring like an impatient child tugging on their mother's dress. With all this chaos aboard, it would be difficult to get a clear shot. We just need our weapons. Just need to buy some time. "Aren't you going to tell me why you made an attempt on my life?"
Caess looks at you for a long moment, Lady Blackbird, "My reasons are my own, Lady. I think it best we make our exit, and then we can catch up." She looks to you, Captain Vance. "You're the exile, are you not? Where is your ship?" Her tone is noble, and sharp.
What do you do?
You've beaten the guards here, and Kale closed the door to the hallway. Kale, the lockers are right there, but locked. Find a key or open it yourself?
"Bishop, we acing these?" He assumes the answer is "yes" and starts moving to make it happen.
Snargle, you see this pit fighter leaning his knee down on the neck of a fallen guard, starting to apply pressure...
I wasn't exactly gentle with the guards I took out. They're all alive -- I think -- but they're going to be hurting come morning. My eyes lift to the lockers -- still locked, apparently -- so we've got some time to spare. "I'm not keen to have 'em following us out." That's what I say out loud, and it sounds like a good enough reason, but it's not what moves my hand. I'm still standing in front of the guy I kicked, and I settle down into a crouch beside him. My hand fits nicely around his throat -- just a bit of a squeeze, and I'll crush his windpipe. He'd smother -- a nice, slow death. I'm sure he deserves it.
It occurs to me, suddenly, that the lady hasn't made her way down the hall yet. My hand is still on the guy's throat as I glance up. I can't hear the conversation, but I don't need to: Lady Blackbird's body is coiled and tense, as if expecting a fight. The lady doesn't scare easy: she's not the kind of lady that would be afraid of someone walking up on her, no matter how dirty or ugly the person. Shit. Six dead imperials will be small consolation if something happens to her.
I leave the guard alone and stalk back down the narrow hallway. "She bothering you?" My question is directed towards Lady Blackbird, but my gaze rests firmly on the woman from the other cell. I'm sizing her up...and if I think she's challenging me in anyway, sizing her up will quickly become staring her down.
Cyrus straps his two guns to his side listening to the conversation between Caess and Blackbird. As Caess addresses him, he strides purposefully up to her, his eyes narrowing, and sharply hisses "Now listen here, Ladyship. Galen... Lady Blackbird's paid for my services, and you ain't. Sides from that, I don't much like the attitude you're taking towards my paying customer. So if you could cut it with the tone towards Blackbird, here, and with this 'WE' make our exit thing, it would be much appreciated. WE will make our exit. I think YOU'RE on your own."
Snargle rushes over and pushes the stranger who is killing the guard. "No need to kill guards! Just doing their jobs, same as Snargle. Lock 'em in a cell! Snargle and Kale can make sure no-one can open up the brig for a long time." Snargle looks at Captain Sir. "Captain Sir! Make him stop!"
Cyrus tentatively turns his attention away from Caess and Blackbird when Snargle calls out to him. He looks back at Blackbird to see if he can get a read on what she's thinking. He lets all the faces of the imperial guards who have ever wronged him flash through his head. Then he makes up his mind.
"Friend! Snargle's got the right of it. Let 'em be. I'd love to get me hands on some imperials too, but it ain't these fellas that folks like you and me got a real quarrel with. It's the ones who sit in their fancy offices that tell these fellas what to do who needs the real beatin'. Stand down."
Snargle can easily help you, here.
I'm doing a thing: 1
Ex-imperial soldier, command, soldiers, rank (?): 4
I'll also add 2 pool die for 6.
Snargle, want to help?
I can't help but smile to myself. Now this is more like it. Kale and the Cap--not to forget good ol Snargs--fightin and missionin.
I crack my knuckles and get to work pickin this here locker lock.
1+Burglar+Locks+Dexterous+1 pool+quiet (if that'll work)
(Rolled: 6d6.. Rolls: 1, 1, 6, 6, 1, 5. Total: 20)
Snargle is grateful for Captain Sir's backup on this. "Yes. These won't be fighting back."
OOC: Helper die for Vance from Snargle's pool.
Cyrus starts walking towards the stranger. "Come on friend. It could have been you or I down there. Come with us and we'll stick it to them who's really earned it."
Gonna add an extra pool die for 8 total.
(Rolled: 8d6. Rolls: 6, 2, 3, 5, 4, 3, 2, 5. Total: 30)
My heart calms as Naomi and the Captain put themselves between me and her.
Uriah told me once she was called the Radiant Angel. With her eloquence she could allure men, and women alike, learning everything, and anything they knew. She would use this knowledge to blackmail highborns whenever she had the chance. She saw all of us as heartless parasites, as most often do. I suppose that was one of the many reasons why she disliked me, but at the time, I did not care.
She could think that I was a coddled trollop all she wanted. She could think that I was just using Uriah all she wanted. Whatever the reason she settled on to put a bullet in me, I do not know.
Obviously, the blood loss has caused me to get lost in my thoughts, but I perk up hearing the Captain's firm tongue lashing, and prospect of getting my belongings back. "...yes, she is. I say to my bodyguard.
The scarred man stands, pushing himself up off the guard's neck, "Name's Jonas. The only thing the Empire didn't take from me."
Kale...
You open up the lockers without any trouble. Inside is the gear you all had, including Vance's pistols. there's also possessions for others, including Mary Glaring's saber and pistol, and some very fine clothing that might belong to the lady talking to Lady Blackbird. But there's something else in this locker that is of immense value to only a select few. What is it?
I scoop all the kitchems they took outta my pockets when I got in here--well, all those that they found. Also, a grab a the few golden Skymaid coins. (Probably belonged to some other prisoners--we'll go with that.) But I freeze for a second when I see the purple orb.
I look over my shoulder at Snargs and Naomi. Playin it real cool I stuff it deep into an interior pocket.
That's a krakenseye if I've been a day into the Blue. These little marbley stones are used by Rain Witches and other petty practitioners to focus their Spellcastin. I've tried usin em enough times to know they're mostly bunk, but a superstitious mark could pay pretty for em. Maybe the Lightnin Lady could buy it offa us, but she kinda looks smarterin that.
I'll hafta show this to the Cap once we get a quiet time. Speaking of gettin paid pretty, these fancy clothes could look right dashin on the auction block.
I stroll over to the cyclone of a woman that just threw a squad a Brass-Beaters about. Here ya go. Might make better yoosa these than us. I look at her bloody fists while handing her Mary's saber and pistol, Though mayhaps you've covered.
I get Cap's attention and throw him his pistols, one at a time. He catches em with hardly a look and continues with this conversatin.
We takin this luggage too, Cap?
Caess ignores you, Captain Vance, and even you, Naomi. She continues talking to you, Lady Blackbird, "Milady. If you will assist me in escaping the Hand of Sorrow, I will aid you in a most important way." She doesn't share how, forcing you to ask. Of course.
I'm against the wall at this point. I don't want her anywhere near me. "How could you even help me?" She is putting me further away from the exit. Further away from my Uriah. "Get out of my way or I'll make you!"
OCC: *threatening to use wind magic*
A mirthful little smile crosses her face, "I assume you planned on making this little escape, that you planned for it. Did you bring letters of marque? Some form of credit on the House's good name? Surely you know they are now useless. But you might expect that your father revoked them to force you to come home, am I right?"
She chuckles lightly, "That is not the reason you are cut off from the family, milady. Your father could never deny your whims.... however, Count Carlowe holds the purse strings now. If you don't plan on selling off every last bauble you have, you're dead broke. I, however, am flush with gold, and can bankroll your efforts if you will aide me." She grins now, her offer revealed.
Yes, father was always good to me, no matter how much I spoke out of turn.
"Of course that viper would cut me off. He knows good and well that I would rather choke on my own tongue and die than marry him!" I wrinkle my nose. "I know how you got that money. I'm sure some deserved it, but you've sunk good, decent people with your lying mouth!" I take a step forward. "...you're on your own, and I hope you gag on the fogs!"