Maelakin puts up his crossbow and takes a seat at a nearby table.

I guess some people just don't appreciate help. Well, I'm not about to get myself killed for some Captain I don't even know.

@ Merago: You run to the door and see the assassin running down the street, he is making an effort to run close to people to make a shot at his back risky, you can fire, but a miss might hit someone else.

@ Ransel, you are chasing the man through the muddy street, he is as fast as you are, you are gaining slightly because he is trying to keep his back covered, choosing a path that puts people between him and the inn.

The Captain runs to the window, leaning out with the wand outstretched.

Ikaruga was growing tired of being ignored by all of these busy, frenzying people, she finally turned to the bar tender and asked if he had any water.

Merago mumbled to himself, "I'd just hit some other bugger... ahwell... none of my business anyway, I guess," and put his bow away, "still pretty caothic here... with any luck, there's free..." he walked back into the inn and looked to see if someone had forgotten about their ale in this mess.

Ikaruga seeing a new man enter the bar, decided to ask him if he knew what all the commotion was about. She walked up to him and spoke softly "Hello... I know this might sound a bit odd, but I'm new here, and I was wondering if you knew just what all of this commotion is about..."
*edit for sig*

[ 12-05-2003, 01:16 AM: Message edited by: /)eathKiller ]

(OOC: Ikaruga be talkin to Merago, right?.. Merago's a halfling, btw.)

Merago looked up at the woman. "Quite new here meself... all I really know is that folks are getting killed here, I believe that mage over there was the first one to go down. I bet whoever started this mess has left... I'd do that meself, but we're not allowed to leave 'till that fella over there," he pointed at Merlo, "says so. But hey, drinks are on whoever sat over there when this started," he'd discovered a table where it seemed to be some ale left unattended.

Ikaruga sat and ignored the presence of the Alchohol which she was prohobited by dedication from drinking, after a few thoughts, she decided to aproach this large fellow, who was obviously some sort of party "leader" and ask him if he could give her any assistance. She approachined him slowly and with caution, and sat in the bar stool next to him without making a sound, as she turned to him, her eyes glowed as if a raging tempest was inside of them from a combination of nervousness and fear.

[ 12-05-2003, 11:44 PM: Message edited by: /)eathKiller ]

"Out of the way!!" Ransel screamed at the people.
For a moment it seemed he wasn't getting any closer to the man, and he thought of using his shortbow, but he waved that thought off.
Yes. Dodge the people. Lose some speed. All the more easier for me. he thought You can't run forever.

@ Ransel: The man you are chasing suddenly stops, seemingly dazed.

@ the players in the bar, the captain lets out a short cry of satisfaction abandons the window and races for the tavern door.

What in the nine...
Ransel stops five feet from the man, pulls out a very thin and evil-looking blade from a sheath on his back and says "Stop!". The moment the words left his lips he realised the stupidity of himself and thought: Being a blabbering idiot again, aren't we?
"Why were you running? You have something to do with whatever happened in that inn, don't you?" Ransel asked the man. The feeling from just a moment ago came back: Being a blabbering idiot again, aren't we?
"Why won't you speak!?" Ransel raised his voice at the dazed-looking man with half a beard hanging from his face.

[ 12-06-2003, 02:12 PM: Message edited by: Bozos of Bones ]

@ Ransel

The man comes out of his daze, and turns and starts running. You hear a cry of "stop that man!" behind you.

"Hey!" Ransel starts running after the man.
"Stop! Damn you!" he shouts after the man. Ransel puts his right arm, the one with the blade, behind him to prevent any passersby getting accidentally cut.

OOC: Can I jump at the man to pin him down, punch him in the face or otherwise stop him?

@ Ransel: The man suddenly stops again, dazed once again by the wand, the guard captain is heading your way, still yelling "Stop that man!".

Ransel throws his sword to the side and throws himself on the man to pin him down.

OOC: I want to use any trick in the book to keep him on the ground without killing him. This includes punches, choke-holds and the like.

@ Ransel: You easily pin the dazed man down in the muddy street. The Captain keeps applying the wand then slips some rope come-alongs over the mans wrists and boots and tightens them. Soon more guards show up and take the man into custody.

You are covered with mud. The Captain starts to shake your hand, then thinks twice about it. "Thanks for your help, you have my gratitude, if you wish you may follow the guards to the compound and clean up there, or return to the inn."


@ the tavern. With the captain and all the guards gone momentarily, a couple of people start to slip out.

Ikaruga ignored the sounds from outside and concentrated on Maslow with her glowing eyes, "What is this world called?" She finally decided to ask.

Maelakin sat quietly at a nearby table, watching those around him. As people began to sneak out of the Inn, he attempted to catalog a description for each one for future use if needed.

"Allways a pleasure to be of use to the local law.", Ransel replied to the captain and continued "And thank you for the offer, but I think I'll go back to the Inn, get a room there and clean up.".
Ransel picked up his muddy sword, cleaned the blade and sheated it on his back.
"Captain", he asked "could you explain, not in detail, what happened in the Inn before I got there?"

@ Ransel: The Captain says "I am Captain Merlo,this was a political assassination, the Mage was investigating the recent happenings in the hills west of here, where it appears some cult has taken root, it appears that his investigations have been stopped.

@ Maelakin: So far three people have left, all look like locals, you have a description of each.

"Cult? Cult of what?", Ransel couldn't help but be interested. There is a cult in the mountains which is so devoted to an evil cause that they kill people who try and find out more about them. This is interesting.

Ikaruga was begining to feel unnoticed, so she decided to speak in a more robust tone.

@ Merlo "Hello, could you please tell me the name of this world?"

[ 12-10-2003, 06:52 PM: Message edited by: /)eathKiller ]

"Ah, that is always the question with these things, isn't it?" says the captain, "The truth is that I don't know, I don't have the manpower to throw at it, and it is out of my juristiction, but that mage, Ilustro he was called, had spoken to me of it upon occassion." He sighs slightly "I suppose with this murder, I need to send someone up to investigate".

Noticing the weird looking female becoming obviously agitated at being ignored, Maelakin offers Ikaruga a seat at his table and says, "If you wish to sit, I can attempt to answer questions you may have."

"Hmm. Thank you.", Ransel turned away and started walking back toward the inn. He imagined he could offer himself to investigate it, but that wouldn't be fun but foolhardy. There was an evil cult in the mountains. The man I was chasing was an assassin. Who knows what would have happened if I had a cjance to fight him. Thank the gods that captain Merlo stopped him with his wand. And that's a nice wand. I think I could have use of such an item.
He came to the inn and entered, asking "Where's the inn master?"
OOC: What time of day is it?

@ Maelakin "I didn't think I'd cast sanctuary, the way everyone in this world goes about you'd think the planet was ablaze. Hello, sir. I'm new here and I just wanted to know what all this commotion was about, and... while I'm at it... what world I'm on. I'm not from around here, you see."

OOC: It is early afternoon, the adventure is set in the FR, but it won't be entirely canon, you are in teziir on the dragon coast, a place more lawless than most, with a thriving thieves guild and a city guard known to be corrupt and often thuggish.

@ Ransel: The innkeeper finds you, a fat balding man with long wispy hair where he has it. "Hold up mate, you must be one of the fabled mud men of Zakhara, well, I ain't gonna swab up after ya."

"Zakhara?", Ransel asked, but a glance on his mud-covered clothing answered the question for him. "I need a room. And some place to clean up. And some food."

@Ikaruga: "You are in Teziir, in the Realms. To be honest, I'm not too sure what was occuring here. All I know is a mage was performing tricks and ended up with a knife in his back. Soon after, I found a knife attempting to find its way into my back. My guess is the captain can clear up any specifics once he returns, if he does."

@ Ransel: The innkeeper looks at you a moment closely, clearly trying to see if there is a paying customer under the mud. "Mother!" he yells, and in moments an old woman, bent with age comes out of the door behind him. "Take this mud golum into the skully and clean him up!" He looks back at you, "Tavern's through there, you can get a meal, and up those stairs on the left are the rooms, yours is the third one."

@ Aldyne: Your strength is returning quickly

@ Maelakin and Ikaruga: A man, a drunken sailor walks up, he looks at Ikaruga through bleery eyes. "Hey, youra interesting looking one, you workin here tonight?"

@ The Drunken Man : Ikaruga squinted mennacingly at him, but then remained calm and took a deep breath. "It's a good thing for you that my religeon won't allow me to lob your head off right now..." She scaufed slightly, and turned away from him.

[ 12-13-2003, 11:20 AM: Message edited by: /)eathKiller ]

"Thank you."
Ransel let himself be taken to the back room to get cleaned up.

[ 12-15-2003, 10:10 AM: Message edited by: Bozos of Bones ]

Maelakin glances at the drunken sailor and says, "It seems she isn't interested, so if you could be kind enough to move on..."

@ Maelakin: The sailor looks at you, "I wasn't talking to you, bub." He turns back toward Ikaruga.

@ Ikaruga" "So, your a feisty one, I like that. Hows about I show you some of the sights around here, we could start upstairs."

You follow the old woman into the kitchen, where she grabs a towel, and out the back into a small alley courtyard with a well. She starts lowering a bucket into the well, then strains to pull it up.

"Here, let me help." Ransel said and moved towards the well, gripping the rope.

Maelakin responds to the Sailor saying, "Whether you were talking to me or not doesn't matter. I WAS talking to you, and I wouldn't advise going and getting yourself in some trouble right before the Captain is due back. Not exactly the smart move, is it?"

@ Ransel: The old woman steps back and smiles at you, once you have the bucket of water she starts working on you with the towel and water, taking as much mud off as she can before asking you to strip down. "Don't be modest, I've raised four sons", she says.

@ Maelakin & Ikaruga: The sailor moves closer, between you two, and puts his arms around both your shoulders. "We can all be friends" he says, slurring his words slightly, before you can react, he starts retching like he is going to vomit.

Maelakin ducks under the sailor's arm and swings out of his chair.

Ransel arched his left eyebrow, takes off his clothes while asking the woman "Four? Who sired them?"

The drunk sailor stops his gagging and retching, and staggers out without another word.

The old lady starts talking as she scrubs away. "Oh, my husband started this place near 50 years ago, he's passed on now, been four years, two of my sons run the inn now, Malcon, thats the one in there now, Facob is the other, and Knele, my youngest, he's a sailor, the other boy died as an infant, broke my heart, but I was blessed to have three grow to adulthood, my sister Graffa lost two sons..." She drones on about family, you are having a hard time paying attention.