Dice Into the West (5e Homebrew Campaign)

[Sha]

Zuk scoffed when Redshanks asked him to follow the Gith up the stairs, “Yea, yea,” He scoffed again. Showing his annoyance with a wave of his hand, he meandered through the small crowd towards Tasis. The goblin reached out and took the prison keyring from his belt before wrapping and intertwining a long piece of cloth ripped from the guard’s shirt around the individual keys to prevent further noise. Upon reaching the foot of the steps he sighed, rubbed his face with his left hand, and ascended the stairs slowly, keys in hand, as the Gith seemed ready to attempt to open the door.


Zuk then waited on the first step to witness the result. The walls were flat and without footholds – the ceiling was no different. He figured he would be safer at the bottom should the warriors charge up the thin, mundane hallway, or should the guards charge down. If the door was locked, he would move up the steps with the keys and his crude lockpicks, if not, he would watch the Gith’s reaction, ascended the stairs in silence should it be one of curiosity. Of course, should the guards notice, Zuk would slip away until the time was right.

 

[The Gunrunner]

"Nay, I'm not the Captain until we take the ship and you lot vote. That's the way of the sea. First though, here . . ." Tasis shakes his head, opening his mouth to interject but the Tiefling's palms give him pause. He looks down and arcs his brows, fearing the same pain he'd felt with Radfor's magic. Instead, it's merely... unnerving. Once the wounds are sealed, he runs the fingers of one hand along them to feel the bump on the skin.


"That is better," he begins, but continues - "But I did not mean the captain of this ship. I believe you said you were a captain before?"


The red one replies: "Ah, yes. Captain of the scandoshian merchant sloop Precious Harvest. But this will be battle, which I am not the most experienced at of this group. My suggestion though, is to at least try to kill as many guards discreetly as possible. Unfortunately, not a one of us was brought here conscious, so no one have the slightest idea of what waits us outside that door."


Tasis nods in agreement. He keeps his eyes on him for a moment, trying to think of what to say or ask next, but then he feels someone's little hands pull the keys from his hand. He looks over, his eyes following Zuk as the little bugger walks to the stairs and waits on the first step. Someone isn't happy. He rolls his shoulder and shifts the scimitar over his shoulder. He looks over the group "How many people here have experience with killing in silence?" He ponders for a second, then quickly adds "And, just as important, who here can lead fighters?"

 

[Midnight Paragon]

Radfor was snapped out of his reverie and he quickly stowed away the strange sharp object back into his pocket, and his eyes drifted over to other warrior, Tasis. He was asking if anyone had any experience with silent killing or leading. He had no experience with silence, but...


He looked to Tasis and spoke quietly.


"I used to lead a hunting party in....the old days. Nothing too glamorous, but we ran into the occasional wild animal and...well, savages. If that counts for anything."


@The Gunrunner

 

[Phaeos]

@Sha You creep up after the Gith. You can tell he has a light frame and subtle step by his lean physique. As well, he seems well practiced at moving silently; stepping along the stairs' edges close to the wall, carefully feeling each stair before fully pressing his weight down. You easily navigate the stairs silently, and reach the top just a few seconds after him.


The door is tall, and the window in it is nearer the top; too high for you to see directly out of, though you can still see the orange glow of a nearby flame shining through. The noises are much louder now, too,


The gith is leaned against the door, peering through the window. He says, "About ten feet from the door is a wall with a torch. Seem like a hallway; there is a passage going left and right. The left seems very bright, and I see a lot if shadows moving about. The right is darker." He pauses, listening, then continues, "The sounds are coming from the left."


You test the door handle carefully; it is locked. You think you can pick it quietly, using the other sounds as cover.

 

[Sha]

Zuk waited until the Gith relayed to him what little information could be gathered from peering through the window. The coast was clear. The goblin then set to work, quickly realizing the keys which hung on the ring would prove useless. He stifled a groan. Zuk had awoken only a few days ago after being knocked unconscious, forced, in the same way as the prisoners who waited at the bottom of the stairs, to recover on the hard floors and measly food which was provided to them. With a silent breath, he set to work with the crude lockpicks which he had acquired from the guard.


One by one, the goblin began to trifle with the pins of the lock but, due to the swaying of the ship coupled with his fatigue and hunger, his first efforts failed. As the short piece of metal fiddled inside the lock he felt it stick and bend. Gently, and with the precision afforded to him from his years of experience, he removed the piece of metal without it breaking. With another quiet breath, he moved the lockpicks back into the lock. Within seconds he heard it click and smiled slyly to himself, “Easy,” He smugly reassured himself.


He glanced to the Gith and nodded. The door opened just enough for the small creature to peak his head through.


Zuk brought his head in, the Gith shut the door silently. “At least two dozen of the bastards,” Zuk mumbled just loud enough for the Gith to hear, “Keep an eye out,” The goblin finished, silently descended the stairs.


He stood on the first step and began to speak quietly as he peered up, dwarfed by the warriors before him.


“Right way leads down somewhere dark, storage, I’d guess. Left is filled with crewmen; at least two dozen. Seems like they’ve been drinking, celebrating like they just sold,” He grinned wryly, “Something.” He paused briefly, “Before you ask, I doubt me or the Gith could make it down the right side without being seen, too much light and they got a clear line of sight.”

 

[The Gunrunner]

(A condensed version of the response I got from @AbherrantForm In case I missed anything, I've put his response in a spoiler.


I guess Zuk walks in on this.)

Spoiler

Your first question draws varied reactions; most of the prisoners shake their heads. Armon seems to stiffen, thinking about possibly speaking up, but chooses to remain stoic and silent. Redshanks shrugs, and gives the "sort of" gesture. Gronsk growls, "What glory is there in killing a sleeping enemy?" Weyne is the only one who steps foward,smiling wickedly, and says simply, "I do." Sir Kassius seems to hesitate, as if conflicted, but also steps foward, his voice uncharacteristically abashed,"I as well."


Your second question draws even less reaction. Radfor speaks of his past days. Redshanks mumbles, "A sailing crew is one thing, a war party is something else." Kassius says, "I am learned in all arts of war, including command and strategy, though such knowledge is more applicable on a battlefield." Again, Weyne speaks too, "I led many . . . scouting parties . . . in my days as a mercenary." Redshanks says sarcastically, "You mean you led raids during your days as a pirate . . ." To which Weyne replies, staring intently at the teifling,"If that were the case, I wouldn't be mouthing off; pirates are infamous for killing sailors and . . . captains." Redshanks takes a step forward and says, "After we deal with the guards, I'm going to remove that smug head of yours, and this world will have one less scumbag to worry about." Weyne doesn't back down, but begins slowly walking foward, eyes murderous, "Why wait? Come teifling. . . I've always wondered what color demon blood is . . . " Gronsk and the bugbear position themselves behind Weyne. The two drow do the same for Redshanks. The tension is palpable.

The first question draws varied reactions; most of the prisoners shake their heads. Tasis neither frowns nor furrows his brow, but one could still catch some air of disappointment. He looks over to Armon, noticing his suddenly stiff posture, but he seems to decide against it. Redshanks at least provides a shrug, but then Gronsk decides to balance out the small reassurance with his own damnable answer - "What glory is there in killing a sleeping enemy?" Tasis moves one hand to his face and pinches the bridge of his nose - This is not going well. Almost in time to interrupt the thought, Weyne steps forward with a wicked smile and a verbal answer of his own: "I do." Tasis gives him a lingering stare, dropping the hand. Unexpectedly, Sir Kassius also pitches in, though not before fighting some hesitation: "I as well." The knight's voice is noticeably, and uncharacteristically, abashed. Tasis finds it hard to conceal a smirk. He finally provides a comment: "Honour isn't always strategic," he summarises. Hoping to avoid a discussion on the comparison of honour and tactics, he quickly carries on with the question of leadership.


There are not many candidates, but that is likely the better situation. Soon after Radfor repeats his experience, Redshanks does so his, though in a mumble - "A sailing crew is one thing, a war party is something else." Then Kassius - "I am learned in all arts of war, including command and strategy, though such knowledge is more applicable on a battlefield." Then, once again, Weyne - "I led many . . . scouting parties . . . in my days as a mercenary."


Tasis kept any comments or gestures to himself. He didn't want to silence anyone or risk starting a fight. Both would be nothing but problematic... This becomes evident thanks to Redshanks; in a sarcastic voice, the Tiefling responds to Weyne's recounting: "You mean you led raids during your days as a pirate . . ." Weyne replies, staring intently at the teifling, "If that were the case, I wouldn't be mouthing off; pirates are infamous for killing sailors and . . . captains." Redshanks takes a step forward and says, "After we deal with the guards, I'm going to remove that smug head of yours, and this world will have one less scumbag to worry about." Weyne doesn't back down, but begins slowly walking forward, eyes murderous, "Why wait? Come teifling. . . I've always wondered what color demon blood is . . . " Gronsk and the bugbear position themselves behind Weyne. The two drow do the same for Redshanks. The tension is palpable.


For fuck's sake.


Tasis' expression no longer holds. It falls into a deeply disappointed frown. It is one that borders condescension, and it accompanies a tone typical of superiors to their subordinates. "You are not starting a fight down here." He shifts the scimitar off his shoulder, resting the tip against the floor. "I'd love to let that little green footrest give another tongue-lashing; he's good with responding to stupidity. But he's busy with something - something called 'helping.' Starting a fight before we've made any progress taking this ship, if you didn't know, is not called 'helping.' Starting this fight before we're properly armed, organized, or coordinated is definitely not called 'helping.' It's called 'suicide.' Do us a favour: Walk away from each other, mumble about how the other person's club is smaller than your's, and don't get us all killed or worse."

 

[Phaeos]

Redshanks and Weyne stare each other down for several seconds. The teifling says flatly, "Like I said, afterwards . . ." though he doesn't move away. Weyne's smirk only broadens, "I look forward to it, demon . . ." and he lowers his club and turns away, Gronsk and the bugbear following. At that moment, Zuk reappears and gives his report.


At this moment, you all hear a harsh sssshhhhh! from the top of the stairs. Everyone falls silent and tenses up. A loud trampling of footsteps is heard rushing past, urgent voices mixed with drunken, slurring jests and curses. After several seconds, the Gith whispers down, "Goblin!"


@Sha You peer up the stairs at the Gith, who is pressed flat against the door. He whispers, "Most of them just rushed to the right, seems like there is trouble above deck. This might be our chance, " You relate this information to the others.


Any of the other prisoners who have an opinion are of the same mindset; if an opportunity has occurred, then best not to linger. They are ready.


(If anyone wishes to say anything before beginning, now is the time. If not, just say pass in the OOC)

 

[Phaeos]

(proceeding then)


The others arrange themselves along the stair way, the Gith in the lead. When everyone signals that they are ready, the Gith slowly opens the door, peers in both directions, and steps out, moving right. The rest of you follow, gathering in a small landing with a single torch mounted against the wall.To the left are stairs that lead down to a room with four tables and a bar. A lantern shines on each table. At the table directly in front of the stairs, a bearded guard is passed out in a drunken stupor; his shield and scimitar lay on the table in front of him. In the corner to the far right, to aft, another guard is splayed across a table, heaving into a bucket and moaning. Behind the bar, a stocky, gray skinned crewman whistles and arranges the bottles on the shelf behind the bar, his back to the room. He grabs up a few bottles and walks off to the right, disappearing through an archway beside the fore-end of the bar. You all see vapors and smoke coming from the archway he went into, as well as some other voices in there.


To the right, a stairway leads down into another room filled with crates, barrels, sacks, and other stores. There is an archway along the fore wall, near the hull. Dim light shines through there, and you can hear what sounds like growling and mumbling.


The Gith sneaks to the right, along the wall, making his way towards the dim doorway, Sir Kassius following behind him. Weyne, Gronsk, and the bugbear move to the left, towards the sleeping guard. Redshanks tells the gnome to wait, and gestures for the two drow to come with him to the right. Quethylas, Tsunai, and the Leonine watch to see what you three do.


(If you go to the left, roll for stealth. If you go to the right, roll for perception. From now on, unless otherwise directed or if you need to chat about the action, just roll in the dice log tab.)


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[The Gunrunner]

"Like I said, afterwards . . ." though he doesn't move away. Weyne's smirk only broadens, "I look forward to it, demon . . ."


Tasis would have to be content with this.


He climbed the stairs with the others, careful to keep his feet light, his body at a low crouch, and the scimitar close to his body. His free hand nervously plays against the flat back of the sword. As the groups were being formed, he joined with Weyne and his unsavoury aquaintances, ready to move with the rest of them.


(stealth: d20 + 4 = 20)

 

[Phaeos]

@Knight Nate @Sha Radfor moves to the right, following behind Redshanks and the drow while Zuk, Quethylas and the Leonine fall in step behind. The Gith reaches the faintly lit doorway and peers into it for several seconds. He turns and looks back at the group of you, raises a finger in a gesture of silence, and holds up five fingers, then makes a "sleeping" gesture. The younger drow waves to get all of your attention, then points to the far, dark corner of the room. He mouths "weapons" to all of you. The Gith and Kassius nod, and gesture to "be careful and quiet", before everyone begins to move across the room to the corner. Radfor and the Leonine find that it is hard to keep their weight from making the floorboards creak, but in general the group moves pretty quietly. In the corner, behind barrels and sacks of grain and fruit, a weapon rack stocked and loaded with all manner of equipment lies partly covered by a dark burlap sheet. Radfor finds his trusty battleaxe amoung the cluttered weapons, and the others seems to find their confiscated equipment as well. Zuk pulls out a curious and obviously custom made crossbow, checking it for any damage and making sure the mechanisms still function. The Gith grabs a wide-bladed bastard sword in a dark leather sheathe and secures it to his back. Kassius pulls out a strange, curved long sword and holds it reverently. Redshanks digs until he finds a finely crafted rapier. The drow each grab simple made shortswords, and the longbows. Quethylas digs around and eventually pulls out a wicked looking dagger and a quarterstaff with a twisted and scorched end. The Leonine searches for no weapons, instead waiting by the doorway keeping lookout as you all equip yourselves.

 

[The Gunrunner]

It seems that going with Weyne was the right choice;


Tasis observes as Weyne skillfully pulls the guard's dagger from its sheath, slipping the edge to the target's neck. Meanwhile, Gronsk and the Bugbear have their own task - One grabs hold of a puking guards, and the other swings his club to finish the job. The sound is disturbing, but familiar - A wet crack, followed by a bloodied nose and mouth. He twists free, and Tasis is about to jump in before another hit brings the slaver to the ground. A final swing turns his head into a crater.


Tasis moves up, past Weyne, with the scimitar held close against his chest. When he catches sight of one of the figures, he nearly readies his sword. Wait... There's a second of subconsciously-fueled hesitancy, but it is enough. Clearly the person is not in a state that can be termed 'alert.' Tasis' eyes scan the room (Perception = 6), and then he approaches the figure (Stealth = 17).


Should he manage to reach the inebriated figure without being spotted, he would take a position behind the man. He'd flip the sword so the edge faces inwards, and ready his free hand. In a quick, symultaneous motion, the hand would swing to slap over the guard's mouth and the blade would move to glide over the throat.

 

[Phaeos]

The drunken figure doesn't so much as budge as you position yourself behind him. He doesn't even react as you place your hand over his mouth. Not until your blade open's his throat does he sluggishly shift; a confused moan gurgles through the wound, and a few seconds later, the body once again goes slack.


To your right, you can see into the doorway clearly; a kitchen, cramped along the walls and open in the center save three support pillars covered in hanging meats and dried herbs. In the fore corner are dozens of barrels stacked to the ceiling. On the port side wall close to the doorway, several crates lay opened, fruits and vegetables within. Along the inner wall extending to the back, cabinets and a long counter, with several steaming pots and a covered oven. A doorway dissects the counter halfway along the room.


On the far side of the counter, standing in front of a large pot of boiling greens, a husky, gray skinned figure stirs the contents while adding seemingly random ingredients from the cabinets. The cook hums merrily to himself in an unrecognizable language, oblivious to your presence. On his shoulder, a large, crow like bird with four sets of wings and several sets of eyes watches him work, and gives an annoyed squawk, prompting the fellow to toss it a hunk of meat.


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In the far corner, a young looking, yellow and brown mottled skinned boy is searching the barrels, back to the room.


<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_06/57a8cb15b2e9d_PortsideKitchen.png.c4d6e8da20658c4c45fb95a11dcfc490.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="137014" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_06/57a8cb15b2e9d_PortsideKitchen.png.c4d6e8da20658c4c45fb95a11dcfc490.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>

 

[The Gunrunner]

Tasis takes note of the environment - the kitchen, the barrels, and (of course) the two figures. Tasis lays the corpse's face down on the table, pulling the hood to the wood. He then makes his way back to Weyne and his group. If successful, he'd reach out to touch them and get their attention - "I think I see an opportunity; we can either clear the kitchen, or we can remove the bodies and let them cook. It seems like they're preparing dinner, so planning something for their arrival could kill most of the crew at once."

 

[Phaeos]

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@Knight Nate You and the others sneak back over to the open archway, gathering on either side. Within, you see a long room with easily a dozen or more beds. At the other end, maybe thirty or so feet, is another doorway with double doors. Three support beams occupy the space down the center, with clothing lines hanging between them. You can see several figures lying in beds randomly throughout the room. Suddenly, the door on the opposite end crashes open and bangs against the wall, startling several of the figures. One of them near the far door sits and stumbles over to the door, cursing and mumbling.


@The Gunrunner The others listen intently to you. When you finish, Weyne looks you in the eyes and says, "No point in leaving them to possibly cause us problems later, though poisoning the meal does have it's merits. We kill them now, while they are busy. Odds are I can get one of them to tell us what drew the others away in such a hurry."

 

[The Gunrunner]

Tasis looks back again, watching the cook and boy. He swears under his breath, then looks back to Weyne. He matches his look - A steely glare, revealing no unfamiliarity with the scene. Indeed, not even with Weyne.


"There is a point to leaving them: If we want the crew to come for dinner, they might find it a little odd if the cook is nowhere to be seen and there's no one to ask where he went. Worse, maybe he has a habit of his we don't know about; handing out the bowls, or talking to the crew. If you eat with someone for long enough, you notice these things. If you don't have it happen one day, you notice that as well. That notice is very bad when the person is missing.


What we do depends on whether we want them to die here, maybe without a fight, or out there. You can choose - I can't force you - but I will tell you that poisoning the food and waiting until they come is the safest option. We can thin the total number if it's too much to guard, but out of sight so they don't panic; then we can interrogate who remains to find out why the others left; finally, we can use the rest of the kitchen staff to prepare the dinner with the poison."

 

[Phaeos]

@Knight Nate The lumbering figure opens the far door and looks around for several seconds before turning around and heading back to his bed, grumbling and growling. He collapses into his bed and is snoring in seconds. The room galls quiet again except for the snores. You can hear many voices above though, and the ship is rocking noticeably harder.


@The Gunrunner Weyne thinks on your words, weighing the decision. You can tell that he understands your logic, but you suspect it has come down to a matter of him feeling in charge, especially in front of the two brutes. (Make a persuasion roll).

 

[Phaeos]

@Knight Nate You, Redshanks, the Gith, Sir Kassius, Quethylas, the leonine and the drow look at each other, and an unspoken conversation and agreement occurs. At once, everyone starts to move. Kassius and the Gith get through first, dashing like silent shadows across the room to the sleeping crewmen nearest the far door. You and the Leonine move in second, the drow and Quethylas come in last. You see two immediate targets; to the right, a fat sailor lying sideways across his bed, bulbous belly jiggling with each snore, or to the left, a figure wrapped up tightly in his blanket.


@The Gunrunner Weyne shakes his head and says, "Too many chances for things to go wrong, we get them now. Make them talk, then kill them." He turns to his goons, "Get the boy, don't let him raise an alarm . . ." To you and Tsunai he says, "We will deal with the cook; take his legs out, I'll make sure he doesn't scream . . ." Gronsk and the Bugbear nod their understanding. Weyne looks at you and Tsunai, waiting for your acknowledgements.

 

[The Gunrunner]

Tasis lets out a prolonged sigh. There's no hope of convincing him now. He nods, fingers tightening against the handle of his scimitar. "Understood." He looks over his shoulder to the chef and boy, both oblivious to what was about to happen. He turned to face them, ready to move with the group.

 

[Midnight Paragon]

Radfor was glad to have finally retrieved his battleaxe; with it in tow, there was no way his enemies stood a chance. However, a modicum of Stealth was still needed here. Carefully, he made his way over to the bed of the fat sailor; the Leonine would have much more trouble dealing with him than Radfor would. He slowly brought his hands up, his breathing slow. He felt no remorse for what he was about to do, for it was necessary for his survival. His plan? To quickly cover the man's mouth and snap his neck before he realizes what's happening...

 

[Phaeos]

@Knight Nate (Stealth check, then athletics check)


@The Gunrunner Weyne crouches with his back upright against the edge of the doorway, steals a glance into the kitchen, then lethely dashes in. The brutes move to the left towards the boy. You follow after Weyne, who is running quickly, not loudly, but not exactly stealthy either. Tsunai stays directly beside you. (roll stealth or athletics)

 

[Phaeos]

@Knight Nate Even though the floor creaks terribly under your combined weights, none of the sleeping crewmen awake. Your hooves seem to make the creaking worse, and you see the man's eyes squinting at your shadowed form. He continues to stare, up until the point you turn his head around.


You see Sir Kassius deftly run and jump onto a sleeper, driving his strange curved sword through it's head. The Gith dashes forward to the edge of a bed, pushes his hand down harshly over a sleeper's mouth and dispatches it in a similar fashion.


Redshanks delivers a swift two handed chop, severing a head. Quethylas kills two sleepers with throwing knives to their heads. The drow both kill two sleepers apiece, placing the tips of their drawn arrows to their heads, and firing without hesitation. The leonine simply covers one sleeper's mouth with a huge furry hand, and with the other hand proceeds to choke and crush. The gnome hangs back, light crossbow at the ready.


You also see two sleepers in a bunk bed one row fore from you, the top one is a heavily tatooed, pale-skinned sickly looking wood elf, and the bottom a burly, red bearded grey skinned mongrel in chainmail, iron mace lying on his dresser.


@The Gunrunner (will update asap)

 

[Phaeos]

@The Gunrunner Right before Tsunai, you, and Weyne reach the cook (in that order), Tsunai steps in something greasy, loosing her footing and falling abruptly. Somehow she manages to turn around and catches herself awkwardly on all fours, making a low but audible *thump*, yet mostly maintaining her momentum and is now mere feet away from the cook's back. She lunges forward as the bird's head twitches at the sound and swivels around, staring angrily at the three if you.The blue skinned monk delivers the fastest flying knee you have ever seen, right into the mid outside part of the cook's right thigh. She slides past him in the same movement, grabbing his right sleeve and spinning, causing him to fall backwards. His right hand manages to grab the counter ledge preventing his full fall, but he is now off balance, facing your direction. The cook's right hand clutches his thigh, his face a mask of agony, trapped in a silent scream.


(You are merely a second or two away, and get a surprise turn before the cook can react. Weyne will act after you.)