<El-Cideon> The trip back to the desert camp is uneventful. You arrive just before sunrise. A groggy-looking Al is meandering around the plane, doing maintenence and chewing on beef jerky. He looks up at your approach. "Oh, there you are. Wasn't sure you girls were coming back. City's not a place for outsiders." He shrugs, and makes no mention of the newcomer with you; asking nosy questions is bad business, probably. (more)
<El-Cideon> "Heading back the way you came, or is there somewhere else I can take you in the vicinity?"
<Erin> "We'd like to travel to Zimbabwe- wait, no, where was it again, Nadia?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Zanzibar," Nadia replies, giving Erin a funny look. What's a Zimbabwe?
<El-Cideon> "Zimbabwhatnow?" Al looks confused. "Wherever that is, it's well out of my circuit. Actually, so's Zanzibar, but that doesn't mean I won't fly there. Just means I need a little extra incentive to fly there and back without cargo to sell." Al quotes a figure a bit above his last payment. (OOC: DC 16 for the group, still cheaper than commercial flights!)
* Nadia_Chekova turns to her companions, keen to keep Al happy, "It's probably the best deal we're going to hear, and Al's been reliable so far. I say we take the deal."
<Erin> "Of course, we can't afford to lose time."
<Yomi> "No objections here," Yomi agrees.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Looks like you have a new charter, Al," Nadia gives the pilot a warm smile. "Who hasn't wanted to visit Zanzibar at some time or another?"
<El-Cideon> Al nods. "Can't afford to wait around for you afterwards this time, just so you know. Always business to take care of somewhere. I'll have her up and running in a few minutes." He climbs into the plane. (OOC: anyone can make the wealth check without rolling, just note that it's over 15 so reduces someone's total by 1. Decide amongst yourselves who takes the hit. Will move on if there's no desire for chatter?)
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: I had to accept charity on our first flight so I'll take the hit here
<El-Cideon> It's a long, *long* flight and you spend most of it flying over vasts tracts of the Indian ocean (OOC: enough time for resting, so update your spells, Erin). It's not a very comfortable flight since Al's plane was meant for hauling dubious goods rather than people, but it gets you where you need to go. (more)
<El-Cideon> Al lands just outside Dar es Salaam on the coast, Zanzibar itself lacking a suitable airstrip. Al leaves you with wishes for good luck before refueling and taking off back north. It takes a ferry to cross a strait to Zanzibar itself. The island is studded with outposts from past colonial overlords, mostly muslim for centuries and more recently British. (more)
<El-Cideon> A row of decaying wharves creeps into sight as the ferry chugs across the water. Apropos of nothing, Rena speaks up halfway across the strait. "I've never been on a boat before," she notes with what seems like characteristic indifference. "Where are in relation to where we flew from?" she wonders
<El-Cideon> *where are we
<Erin> "I don't really know, myself," replies Erin, with a shrug. "Somewhere southerly?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "A little bit to the West and a lot to the South?" Nadia suggests, leaning with her back against the boat's railing. One sea is much the same as any other. "We should but an atlas and stick little pins in all the places we've been and know the Germans have been."
<Yomi> "I'd pitch in for that," Yomi agrees in amusement, asking Rena, "So how is your first boating experience?"
<Erin> "Ooh, that's a good idea! They could be trying for some kind of giant pentagram. Since the size of the pentagram can affect the power of the ritual..."
<El-Cideon> "I prefer being outside," Rena says, "and the airplane was cold and cramped, so this is acceptable." It's a nice day, actually, only a few fluffy clouds scudding across the sky.
<Nadia_Chekova> "It would be nice if we could fly first class, but it's a waste of money, really," Nadia shrugs, "But I suppose anything's better than being stuck in that greenhouse?"
<El-Cideon> Rena considers this for a moment. "No, it was better than the laboratory. At least it was warm."
<Yomi> "It's a nice day out!" Yomi exclaims after an awkward moment. "Forget about all that, and enjoy the moment!"
<Erin> "Yes, we have to enjoy the small pleasures whilst we still can!"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Touche," Nadia relents on that matter, deciding to move along. "So, when we arrive on the island are we going to ask about an auction that's recently occured or planned for the near future and work from there?"
<Erin> "Yes. I'll also try and figure out where the german squad is staying," notes Erin. "I'll need to think of something that only they would be carrying."
<Yomi> "Live in the present, see the sights!" Yomi adds, nodding at Erin. "For the island? Sounds about right, but we might need to have a decent disguise."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Anything's better than pretending to be an arab boy," Nadia sniffs.
<Erin> "Do we? Well, I can work something out for me," replies Erin, tentatively.
<Yomi> "My, you didn't like being hit on by captive germans?"
<El-Cideon> "You didn't look unpleasant," Rena says as the boat cruises to a stop in Zanzibar city.
* Yomi just has to laugh.
<Nadia_Chekova> "I... think I'll take that as a compliment," Nadia looks awkwardly, seeing they're docking and pushing off the railing to disembark.
* Yomi disembarks after waving for Rena to follow, finding herself deeply amused.
<El-Cideon> It's early afternoon when you find yourself on the streets of Zanzibar, the city a conglomeration of ancient forts and walls, modern trading outposts, and new colonial buildings. (OOC GI is the next move, I presume? What are you looking for?)
<Erin> OOC: I'm going to cast Locate Object, and try and find one of the rifles german soldiers carry.
<Erin> OOC: Then I'll basically wander around Zanzibar and see if I find one.
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+12 GI on recent or impending estate sales
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+12 GI on recent or impending estate sales and gets 14."12 [1d20=2]
<Yomi> OOC: Since everyone's doing something, I'll just toss something over us two and take Rena around to see if either of us recognizes a german
<Erin> When the girls eventually regroup at a british hotel later that afternoon, Erin has some information to share! "I'm sure they're staying at the governor's house," she states. "Or his personal guard has been buying weapons from Germany as of late."
<El-Cideon> Neither Yomi nor Rena spot anyone recognizably German out on the streets; most of the population is obviously African.
<Nadia_Chekova> "That fits," Nadia nods, "There's an auction at the governer's mansion tomorrow night - his widow is selling off his things before returning to Britain. It's something of a party, though, and we lack invitations."
<Yomi> "What if we get there before the auction?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Do you mean sneak in or approach openly?" Nadia clarifies.
<Yomi> "The former. Erin should be able to determine what their target is, right?"
<Erin> "Well, if I can see a list of articles, I could narrow it down," replies Erin. "We can't possibly acquire an invitation, can we?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "It really depends," Nadia replies with an elegant shrug, "Even without an invitation I've been able to attend a few exclusive soirees back in Monaco from time to time. You just have to be charming and hope whomever's on the door isn't especially bright."
<Erin> "Oh, is that how it works? I always wondered..."
<Yomi> "So you two could gain entrance if you wished?" Yomi asks. "Maybe if there were more time, I could find a position with the staff...."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Of course, I doubt we could out-bid our adversaries, so pre-empting the auction might be more advantageous, only if we can determine what they seek and steal it ourselves," Nadia considers. "For now it might be best to simply take a look at the mansion and determine how easy it would be to gain access?"
<Yomi> "Going by their past crimes, it would be something magical, and the auction cannot possibly have many such items?"
<Erin> "Well, it is an auction. It's not impossible they'll get outbid by someone else."
<Yomi> "And then hunt them down? Could be."
<Erin> "
<Erin> "Could we find out if anyone interesting is attending? Perhaps get an idea of who else might be interested in certain relics?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "I can try asking around some more," Nadia allows, "Might take a little while, do you mind waiting?"
<El-Cideon> "I am used to waiting," Rena says with a shrug.
<Yomi> "Not at all," Yomi agrees for her part.
<Erin> "Could I come with you? We may find someone who can help us," replies Erin.
<Nadia_Chekova> "I don't mind the company," Nadia smiles as she and Erin go to enquire as to the guest list at tomorrow's party.
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+12 someone's watching me!
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+12 someone's watching me! and gets 16."12 [1d20=4]
<El-Cideon> While Erin and Nadia are out asking their questions--OOC: listen checks?
<El-Cideon> OOC: Just the two of them.
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20 and gets 9."12 [1d20=9]
<Erin> roll 1d20+2
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d20+2 and gets 18."12 [1d20=16]
<Erin> "Someone's following us," mutters Erin, starting to glance over her shoulder.
<El-Cideon> OOC: roll spot?
<Nadia_Chekova> "Don't look back," Nadia hisses quietly. "Our questions must have attracted the wrong sort of attention. Come on," she picks up her pace a little, starting to head for a convenient alley where they can either lose their tail or attempt an ambush.
* Erin allows Nadia to take the lead, and the world turns into a place where she's out of her depth in moments.
<El-Cideon> You wait a moment, but no one follows you into the alley. Either they moved on, or you lost them.
* Nadia_Chekova hides in the shadows with Erin acting as bait, but after a moment with no response she shrugs and steps into the light. "Are you sure we were being followed?"
<Erin> "Well, someone was being followed, and they were either right next to us, or us," replies Erin. "They said 'I think that's her'."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Hmm... lets go find Yomi and Rena?" Nadia decides, slightly unsettled. "I don't think the guest list is going to give us anything useful from what we've heard so far, anyway."
<Erin> "Yes, I'll feel a bit safer in a group now," replies Erin, starting to head back to the hotel.
<El-Cideon> Fortunately, you aren't bothered further on your way back to the hotel. The crowd on the streets treats you with mere indifference and soon you're back inside.
<Nadia_Chekova> "The guest list was nothing special," Nadia reports for Yomi and Rena's benefit. "Some French actress and the new governer seem to be the biggest names present. Apparently the Germans were asking the same questions a few days ago, though, and Erin thinks we were followed, but whoever it was vanished when we tried to find them."
<Erin> "I don't think we were followed back here, but it might not be so hard to find us now, either," adds Erin, uncertainly.
<Yomi> "We're hardly inconspicious," Yomi agrees, not appearing bothered on the surface. "What does this leave us with, then?"
<Erin> "Should we try and obtain the artifact in question before the Germans do? I'm sure whatever it is will become obvious once we see it on the platform..."
<Erin> "Or perhaps steal it from them afterwards?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Perhaps you could use your magic to disguise yourself as a member of staff to infiltrate the mansion and try to find it before the auction, Erin?" Nadia suggests.
<Yomi> "Do we even know how many germans there are?" Yomi asks hopefully. "If it's less than a dozen, we could subdue them!"
<Nadia_Chekova> "I heard there were half a dozen," Nadia replies. "That might not be all of them, but it seems a reasonable number."
<Erin> "Oh, that's a good idea," replies Erin. "I could try it. Or perhaps I could diguise myself as Doctor Ivo, and rob them- no, the security would be a bit too.. dangerous, I think."
<Yomi> "Quite doable," Yomi muses. "And, really, the only way I can see myself contributing on such a short notice. I can't infiltrate some foreign place at the drop of a hat unlike you two."
<Erin> "I have a feeling your contribution will be the most essential one soon enough."
<Nadia_Chekova> "So we'll try that now?" Nadia suggests. "If Erin can't find anything while she goes in disguised as an employee, we have tomorrow to plan another approach before the auction itself."
<Erin> "How will we do this? I don't know what their servants wear at the moment, but I'm sure one will leave the gate sooner or later."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Yes," Nadia nods, "You need to observe from the outside first - if you can disguise yourself as a known individual, so much the better. We can wait for one to leave on an errand, then you can use that as the template for your disguise?"
<El-Cideon> "Abdul's servants always wore simple, dull clothes," Rena says. "Is this how all servants dress? I have not seen any others."
<Yomi> "Servants tend to wear similar clothing back home, and it's often simple, but I don't consider it dull," Yomi muses. "I think it differs between people and countries."
<Nadia_Chekova> "It really depends, Rena," Nadia turns to the German, "In Monaco many people like their servants to stand out. It's something of a status symbol. The Middle East is far more conservative."
<Erin> "But since this is a British colony, they might all be wearing suits," adds Erin. "Alright, let's go!"
* Nadia_Chekova nods and heads off, ready to provide support and assistance for Erin until she heads into the mansion herself.
<El-Cideon> OOC: moving along to mansion exterior? Taking Rena/leaving her at the hotel?
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: lets take her. We should all stick together.
<Yomi> OOC: I don't think I'm needed to case the place, so I'm good with entertaining Rena. Unless we need to be together?
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: we might be needed for a daring rescue if Erin screws up!
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: Lets just find a cafe or something on the road leading to the mansion and relax there while watching the comings and goings?
<Yomi> OOC: Works
<Erin> OOC: Or if someone tails us again <_<
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: your bird can tail them!
<Erin> OOC: It can! It comes with us, and watches, Cid!
<El-Cideon> OOC: noted.
<El-Cideon> So three of the four girls wait at a cafe (Rena drinks a considerable amount of water, picks a little at a salad, and eats little else) not far from the base of the hill while Erin walks up the street to investigate. The governor's mansion is a staid, imposing block of a building in keeping with modern civic architecture. It looks more functional than residential. It's two floors tall and ringed with windows. There's no perimeter wall or obvious deterrent to uninvited guests, though a couple guards loiter out front. (more)
<El-Cideon> There's no perimeter wall or obvious deterrent to uninvited guests, though a couple guards loiter out front. (more)
<El-Cideon> Erin can see a couple flashy cars pull up as she approaches; the guests disgorged from them are extremely fashionable and well-dressed. Most of them the guards admit on sight, though a few make introductions first. Erin is just in time to witness what looks like an argument between a young man with a steamer trunk and one of the guards.
* Erin peers to see if any of the guests are taking servants along with them.
<El-Cideon> Most of the guests seem to be having porters from the mansion retrieve their luggage. these men are dressed much as one would expect a British manservant to be, in subdued, tasteful black.
<Erin> "Ah, my eagle is telling me of servants going through the entrance at the back. Of course, I should've guessed. I believe I have enough to work with." Erin stands up, and starts heading around to the other side of the mansion. She'll wait until one of the servants leaves, wait around five minutes, disguise herself as him or her, and make her way inside!
<El-Cideon> Erin's patience is eventually rewarded. In due time, a young girl who looks to be a scullery maid hustles out and down the street with a scrap of paper in her hand.
<Erin> A minute or two later, Erin disguises herself as the scurrying maid and makes her way towards the entrance.
<El-Cideon> The guard acknowledges Erin with barely a nod and lets her enter through the back door. Erin soon finds herself inside the mansion, which is lushly appointed: hardwood floors polished to a gleam, walls papered in vivid autumnal colors, electric lighting everywhere. (more)
<El-Cideon> From where she stands just inside the entrance, a hallway goes straight forward and there are doors to the left and right. Kitchen sounds echo from the doorway to her left. No one else is immediately in sight.
<Erin> Erin doubts the antigues and items would be kept so close to the exit, especially if they're valuable, so she heads past these doors and goes down the hallway.
<Erin> Still, before she does so, she activates her magical senses and peers around!
<El-Cideon> Erin passes by another set of doors; to her right is what looks like an entrance to a garden of some sort, a large, square open area right in the center of the main building. Several windows look out onto it; some guests sit talking on stone benches. Erin can only recognize one distinct magical signature; it's faint and the trail seems to wander around the building at random.
<Erin> It's probably something belonging to someone- possibly some German, or possibly some artifact brought into the building and then left lying around. Erin follows the trail!
<El-Cideon> The trail is at its strongest towards the front of the building, where several sitting rooms seem to cluster around the front windows. There are two such rooms on Erin's left as she proceeds (a hallway and open doors to her right seem to lead into a foyer). (more)
<El-Cideon> The trail leads her to a sitting room in the corner of the building. It's appointed with wildlife scenes and paintings of hunters on safari, hunting big game. There are small crowds of rich-looking guests scattered about, having quiet conversations. (more)
<El-Cideon> Erin's arcane senses home in on a pretty young woman with brown bobbed hair in a black dress. She's sitting on a sofa talking with a pair of Africans in suits.
* Erin can't stay still or someone might ask her something, but she tries to listen into the conversation! Perhaps she has an accent, or something...
<El-Cideon> OOC: roll listen? She's on the other side of the room and there are other conversations going on too.
<Erin> roll 1d20+2 yeah, I gathered.
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d20+2 yeah, I gathered. and gets 21."12 [1d20=19]
<El-Cideon> Erin can hear plenty. Whether it's of interest to her or not is another matter. It's obvious from the woman's accent that she's French. She is presently enthusing over Ibsen's "A Doll's House."
<Erin> Perhaps the movie star mentioned earlier? In her current guise, approaching her would be a bit hard, so she backs out of the room and returns to her snooping around. There should be a room where presentations could be done- article storage would probably be nearby.
<El-Cideon> Crossing the hallway whose side doorways open into the foyer (inside, Erin can see a grand stairway leading to the second floor) and circling around the central garden, Erin passes by another pair of similarly occupied sitting rooms. Moving on back to the rear of the building, she passes what looks like a laundry room before reachign the back wall of the building. There are closed doors on the left and the right.
* Erin decides to check these places out, and sneaks a peek through each one.
<El-Cideon> The door to the left opens into a simple storage room filled with boxes and shelves. There's another door in the far back corner, past stacks of crates. The door to Erin's right opens into a grand auditorium that is presently being set up with tables and silverware. Gold leaf is everywhere and crystal chandeliers light it brilliantly.
<Erin> The storage room is far more interesting than being forced to actually do work! She heads in there and unabashedly starts looking through the items present!
<El-Cideon> This is probably a good choice since some of the servants laying out the tableware were starting to look Erin's way. A lot of the crates are nailed shut, but there's a lot of debris lying out in the open: wood carvings from mainland Africa, a few dusty paintings, old books. Nothing here radiates magic, however.
* Erin briefly checks out the books, wondering if a clue might lurk.
<El-Cideon> The books are on wide and varied topics: natural science, philosophy, religion. The more obviously old and fragile ones are carefully wrapped to keep the dust off. There are many medieval manuscripts, hand-scribed and with lush illumination, likely worth a fair amount to a collector..
<Erin> Too many to search through. With Erin knowing that manuscripts and books could well be of value, she can't discount any of them as being what the Germans are after. Nor can she steal all of them, so she makes her way out of the building empty-handed.
<El-Cideon> Good thing too, as mere moments after her exit Erin's familiar reports the women she'd impersonated hustling back up the hill.
<Erin> Time to make a swift escape so they don't run into each other!
* Erin dismisses her disguise and heads back to the meeting point, where she relays her findings quickly- "They have too much stuff to search through. But that French woman- some movie star, you said?- was carrying something magical, that's for sure."
<Yomi> "Was it something in her possession, or was the woman herself cloaked in magic?" Yomi asks, ever-suspicious.
<Erin> "I didn't get a good look," mumbles Erin, glancing away.
<Erin> "But I think it was something she was holding."
<Erin> "I mean, people don't usually just radiate magic, you know. Even I don't!"
<Yomi> "Most people don't carry magical relics, either."
<El-Cideon> "Magic?" Rena wonders. "Is that what you're looking for? I was always told such things didn't exist."
<Yomi> "We pretend they don't when in mixed company, but they're quite real," Yomi is all too happy to explain.
<Nadia_Chekova> "It was a surprise to me as well," Nadia commiserates with Rena. "But Erin is a witch of some sort."
<El-Cideon> "Father was very insistent, but he wasn't always right," Rena concedes.
<Yomi> "If you ask her nicely, Erin could give you a demonstration?" Yomi suggests with a grin. "Can Doctor Ivo pull off another daring crime, you think?"
<El-Cideon> Rena looks confused. "Ivo? Is he here?"
<Erin> "A flawless disguise is just one of my many tricks. But I can't do it right now. Not without a good night's sleep," replies Erin, starting to yawn.
<Nadia_Chekova> "So tomorrow we'll rely on Erin to disguise herself as Ivo and do something more obvious?" Nadia asks if that's the plan they're going to go with.
<Yomi> "If you get yourself invited, and I remain outside and ready to be summoned at a moment's notice, or to create a diversion, it seems like it'd work out for the best."
<Erin> "I don't really know if that's a good idea. Ivo could be here, for all we know," points out Erin. "If two Ivos appear..."
* Yomi giggles at the thought.
<El-Cideon> "One is too many," Rena confirms.
<Yomi> "You could disguise yourself as a proper guest, while Rena and I keep them busy and unable to make the auction?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "I should be able to get myself in tomorrow, by hook or by crook," Nadia affirms with a nod and a smile.
<El-Cideon> "How would we do that, Yomi?" Rena asks, sounding curious.
<Yomi> "It will take some measure of skill," Yomi says sagely. "I'll teach you all about it~"
<El-Cideon> Rena nods. "New things are acceptable."
<Yomi> "Great!"
<El-Cideon> OOC: moving along? Anything else you want to do before returning to the hotel?
<Erin> OOC: If you're going to keep some guest busy, I should see her first? >_>
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: I think we're done for the day
<El-Cideon> So everyone returns to the hotel, fed and with a plan for the next day's events. It's late at night, as everyone's settling in for sleep, when--(OOC: listen checks, everyone)
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20 and gets 9."12 [1d20=9]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20-2 Rena
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20-2 Rena and gets 10."12 [1d20=12]
<Yomi> roll 1d20
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20 and gets 4."12 [1d20=4]
<Erin> roll 1d20+2
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d20+2 and gets 19."12 [1d20=17]
<El-Cideon> Someone's trying to be sneaky out in the hall and doing an atrocious job of it. Really, *everyone* can hear those shuffling feet. Please. It's several someones, clearly enough, a small gang of people outside your door.
<Yomi> The slip Yomi has on for bed is hardly appropriate to entertain guests in, but at least she always sleeps right alongside her trusted sword!
* Nadia_Chekova looks up and after confirming the noise she rolls quietly off the bed. Ordinarily in these circumstances she'd be out the window and fleeing, but she has friends to look out for, and Yomi should be able to protect her. Confirming everyone else is waking, she moves over to the door on the side it opens towards to hopefully get the jump on anyone coming in.
<Erin> Clad in a nightie, Erin looks very much like she wants to panic. However, with the other girls swinging into action, she feels obliged to at least throw a protective charm over Yomi before cowering behind a bed with her handgun.
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+15 move silently
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+15 move silently and gets 35."12 [1d20=20]
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+15 hide
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+15 hide and gets 23."12 [1d20=8]
* Yomi keeps her weapon at her side, sparing Erin a nod before seeking out cover for herself. Cover she could spring from, to take down any german soldiers should they charge in, guns blazing!
<El-Cideon> Nadia can hear someone fiddling with the lock on the other side of the door. And failing to open it. Rena seems mystified by the whole situation but at least picks up on everyone else being quiet. After some more fumbling at the lock, there's an impact from outside.
<El-Cideon> roll 1d6+2
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d6+2 and gets 4."12 [1d6=2]
* Nadia_Chekova rolls her eyes at the amateurish breakin job. They could have all been out the window by now, if she'd known they would be so bad at it.
<El-Cideon> There's a *crack* as the shoddy lock breaks, and soon after someone eases the door open and steps inside, looking around quickly for any trouble there might be waiting for him. It looks like a local, swathed in street clothes and carrying a club. There are several others visible in the hall behind him.
<El-Cideon> OOC: anyone standing right out in the open waiting for them?
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: I'm behind the door, staying hidden in the shadows
<El-Cideon> OOC: right, spotted that, overlooked Yomi's also hiding.
<Yomi> As they lack visible guns, Yomi takes this as her chance to rush out from the relative cover of her bed, Michael 12 being unsheathed in one smooth motion to slice through the leader's club!
<Yomi> OOC: Let's do this init thing
<El-Cideon> OOC: yes, let's
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+7
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+7 and gets 10."12 [1d20=3]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20 Rena
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20 Rena and gets 15."12 [1d20=15]
<Yomi> roll 1d20+1
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+1 and gets 15."12 [1d20=14]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+2 lead goon
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+2 lead goon and gets 19."12 [1d20=17]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+1 goon A
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+1 goon A and gets 9."12 [1d20=8]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+1 goon B
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+1 goon B and gets 15."12 [1d20=14]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+1 goon C
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+1 goon C and gets 14."12 [1d20=13]
* Retrieving #HometownHeroes modes...
<Erin> roll 1d20+7 wtf, they didn't bring guns? well, this won't take long.
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d20+7 wtf, they didn't bring guns? well, this won't take long. and gets 12."12 [1d20=5]
* El-Cideon changes topic to 'Lead goon (19) > Yomi = Rena = Goon B (15) > Goon C (14) > Erin (12) > Nadia (10) > Goon A (9)'
<El-Cideon> The lead intruder starts in surprise at Yomi's suddent appearance and immediately takes a swing at her with his club!
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+4 yes they are sad
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+4 yes they are sad and gets 12."12 [1d20=8]
<El-Cideon> OOC: right, that's a miss. Agile Riposte AoO if you like
* Yomi slashes through the club eagerly, her blade propelled out of its sheath! She tugs on the chain holding the two attached, sending the hilt flying at the back of the leader's head, while striking him in the face with the sheath itself!
<Yomi> roll 1d20+18 let's try to do a charging sunder~
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+18 let's try to do a charging sunder~ and gets 32."12 [1d20=14]
<Yomi> roll 2d6+9
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6+9 and gets 19."12 [2d6=6, 4]
<Yomi> roll 1d20+10 nonlethal attack
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+10 nonlethal attack and gets 11."12 [1d20=1]
<Yomi> roll 1d20+10 nonlethal attack x2, heroic surge
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+10 nonlethal attack x2, heroic surge and gets 23."12 [1d20=13]
<El-Cideon> OOC: weapon broken, second strike hits
<Yomi> roll 2d6+9
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6+9 and gets 16."12 [2d6=2, 5]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+3 fort save
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+3 fort save and gets 20."12 [1d20=17]
<El-Cideon> Yomi bashes the leader in the head, leaving him dazed but still standing!
<El-Cideon> The second goon shuffles inside after the leader to take a punch at Yomi!
<El-Cideon> rol 1d20+6
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+6 oh
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+6 oh and gets 20."12 [1d20=14]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d6+3 omigod someone hit
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d6+3 omigod someone hit and gets 7."12 [1d6=4]
<El-Cideon> Rena stands up, clearly unsure of what to do and merely *yells* at the new intruder. "Get out of our room!"
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+1 Will for ???
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+1 Will for ??? and gets 10."12 [1d20=9]
* El-Cideon changes topic to 'Lead goon (dazed) > Yomi = Rena = Goon B (dazed) (15) > Goon C (14) > Erin (12) > Nadia (10) > Goon A (9)'
<El-Cideon> The intruder is dumbstruck, standing in place and staring! Meanwhile, the two of them have so neatly blocked up the door that their partners can't quite squeeze in right now. These are master tacticians. OOC: Erin
* Erin waves her hands and mumbles something in recently-learned German- at least, it sounds vaugely German, and points an accusing finger towards the crowd of goons!
<Erin> OOC: I cast SLEEP on them. Affects up to 4HD of guys, starting with the toughest ones possible! Will save DC of 14. >_>
<El-Cideon> OOC: you actually roll 2d4 to see how much Sleep hits, so you can get more or less out of that
<El-Cideon> OOC: might be a bit different from D&D version?
<Erin> OOC: Oh, right
<Erin> roll 2d4, my bad
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 2d4, my bad and gets Error: Numeric values only."12 [2d4=4, 1]
<Erin> OOC: However, it still only effects people with 4HD or less
<El-Cideon> OOC: works anyway, starting with weakest. That gets two total, so:
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+1 will the first
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+1 will the first and gets 8."12 [1d20=7]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+1 will the second
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+1 will the second and gets 15."12 [1d20=14]
<El-Cideon> One of the goons in the hall mysteriously falls to the floor, unconscious! His comrade looks on in confusion! OOC: Nadia.
* Nadia_Chekova remains hidden behind the doorway until her services are called upon.
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: Readied action to attack any that get past Yomi the blender
* El-Cideon changes topic to 'Lead goon (dazed) > Yomi = Rena = Goon B (dazed) (15) > Goon C (14) > Erin (12) > Nadia (10) > Goon A (sleep)'
<El-Cideon> OOC: leader is dazed for this round. Go, Yomi.
* Yomi doesn't really understand why some of their assailants are slack jawed all of a sudden, but chalks it up to magic, a minor concussion or both. With that in mind, and tries to down their leader and make a path for her to get to those still out in the corridor!
<Yomi> roll 1d20+8 nonlethal
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+8 nonlethal and gets 27."12 [1d20=19]
<El-Cideon> OOC hit, obviously
<Yomi> roll 1d20+8 how about a crit?
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+8 how about a crit? and gets 28."12 [1d20=20]
<El-Cideon> OOC: ...yeah.
<Yomi> roll 4d6+18 sleep
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 4d6+18 sleep and gets 38."12 [4d6=3, 6, 5, 6]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+2 now watch him make the save again
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+2 now watch him make the save again and gets 7."12 [1d20=5]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d4+1 rounds unconscious
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d4+1 rounds unconscious and gets 5."12 [1d4=4]
* El-Cideon changes topic to 'Lead goon (down 5 rounds) > Yomi = Rena = Goon B (dazed) (15) > Goon C (14) > Erin (12) > Nadia (10) > Goon A (sleep)'
<Yomi> The path readily made, Yomi steps through it to strike at the still-conscious if hopefully fearful assailant!
<Yomi> roll 1d20+8 more nonlethal, heroic surge
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+8 more nonlethal, heroic surge and gets 17."12 [1d20=9]
<El-Cideon> OOC: hit
<Yomi> roll 2d6+9
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6+9 and gets 19."12 [2d6=6, 4]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+4 fort
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+4 fort and gets 6."12 [1d20=2]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d4+1
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d4+1 and gets 2."12 [1d4=1]
* El-Cideon changes topic to 'Lead goon (down 5 rounds) > Yomi = Rena = Goon B (dazed) (15) > Goon C (down 2 rounds) > Erin (12) > Nadia (10) > Goon A (sleep)'
* Yomi stomps on him for good measure once he goes down.
<El-Cideon> Rena runs up and tries to deliver an undisicplined and decidedly unladylike punch to the last standin intruder's face!
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+7
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+7 and gets 14."12 [1d20=7]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d3+3 damage (ahahaha)
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d3+3 damage (ahahaha) and gets 5."12 [1d3=2]
<El-Cideon> The dazed goon can only stand there and take the hit, tottering in place. OOC: Erin
* Yomi tries to help Rena and put the bastard that landed a hit on her out of his misery and into blissful slumber, clubbing him in the back of his head with her sheathed sword.
<Yomi> roll 1d20+3 nonlethal
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+3 nonlethal and gets 7."12 [1d20=4]
<El-Cideon> OOC: miss, sadness
<Erin> Erin pulls out her gun and audiably cocks it, pointing it angrily at the onrushing intruders. "Get lost, you, you, you cretins!" she shouts, furiously.
<El-Cideon> OOC: want to actually try and do intimidate, or are we just grandstanding? If the former, sure, roll, otherwise Nadia is up.
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: I'll attack any mooks who attack at all with my readied action, sure
<El-Cideon> The last man standing shakes out of his dazes and turns to swing at Yomi in a mad rush for the door! OOC: go if you want.
<Nadia_Chekova> Seeing one of the villains lunging past the doorway at Yomi, Nadia surges out from behind it and drives her knee up into his solar plexus!
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+9
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+9 and gets 12."12 [1d20=3]
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: does flat footed help?
<El-Cideon> OOC: it would, but he's actually acted once so he's not flatfooted.
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: vs me! I'm hiding!
<El-Cideon> OOC: Oh. Yes. Hit, then.
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d8+2 those brawl feats weren't a waste, at least
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d8+2 those brawl feats weren't a waste, at least and gets 4."12 [1d8=2]
<El-Cideon> The goon staggers and wheezes, almost down but barely standing! OOC: Yomi may as well go next for the sake of convenience.
<Yomi> "How dare you try to mar a maiden's face?!" Yomi exclaims in indignation, barely able to restrain herself from striking with the sharpened blade, rather than its sheath. She targets the brute's nose with a savage satisfaction, nonetheless, slamming her sheathed weapon into it twice in succession.
<Yomi> roll 1d20+8 nonlethal
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+8 nonlethal and gets 23."12 [1d20=15]
<El-Cideon> OOC: hit.
<Yomi> roll 2d6+9
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6+9 and gets 20."12 [2d6=5, 6]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d0+4 fort
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d0+4 fort and gets Error: Number of sides must be integer greater than 0."12
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+4 fort
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+4 fort and gets 22."12 [1d20=18]
<Yomi> roll 1d20+3
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+3 and gets 17."12 [1d20=14]
<Yomi> roll 2d6+9
<El-Cideon> OOC: hit, yes.
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6+9 and gets 16."12 [2d6=3, 4]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+4 fort
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+4 fort and gets 13."12 [1d20=9]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d4+1 down
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d4+1 down and gets 2."12 [1d4=1]
<El-Cideon> He topples to the floor with his fellows, and the room is silent but for the sound of everyone panting in exertion. OOC: free act.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Well..." Nadia draws back her extended leg and smooths down her chemise. "I think we should be grateful they were so incompetent."
<Erin> "What are we going to do with them?" Erin mumbles, stashing away her useless gun and squinting at them all. "What if someone heard? Why should I be fretting, actually..."
* Yomi hits each of the goons again, so that they don't waken any time soon.
<El-Cideon> "Doesn't someone normally call the authorities when confronted with criminals?" Rena wonders. "That's what I've heard. This has never happened to me before."
<Erin> "They can be a bother. All those questions..."
<El-Cideon> "Oh. Should we get rid of them, then?"
<Yomi> "They hit my face!" Yomi complains in utter dismay, searching for a mirror. "It's the first time my face was hit in battle!"
* Nadia_Chekova nods. "The authorities are often more of a hindrance than a help. But we can't stay here." She promptly marches over to her bag and starts getting dressed properly. "We could interrogate one, but I think it's obvious who sent them and I doubt he'll know anything useful."
<Erin> "Here, put this on it," offers Erin, fishing out that freezing magical ball they found earlier.
<El-Cideon> "So this doesn't usually happen at hotels?" Rena asks with apparent sincerity. "I have never stayed at one before."
* Yomi does so, laying on her bad and throwing her head back. "Are we really that sure? We could be jumping to conclusions. Foreign women staying together with no apparent guardian. That in itself is a reason to break in."
<Erin> "I think it's something that only happens to us," mutters Erin.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Not normally, but I think we should perhaps assume it will happen more often to us in the future," Nadia muses as she pulls up her stockings. "Considering how Erin and I were followed, it's a fair assumption."
<El-Cideon> Rena nods and gets dressed (presumably still in the bedouin robes). Looking at the bodies thoughtfully, she picks up a dropped knife and tucks it into a pocket. "Should we kill them? They wouldn't follow us again if we did."
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: We all have spare clothes we can give to Rena so she doesn't look stupid
<El-Cideon> OOC: noted.
<Yomi> "We don't kill humans," Yomi declares, getting herself moving again, dressing up slowly.
<El-Cideon> "Not even when they try to kill you? Why not?"
<Erin> "Killing is a sin," replies Erin, with a sigh. "It blackens one's karma and cuts short the thread of a soul. People need all the time they can get to find some form of enlightenment, and even those who walk the blackest paths do not always follow them to the bitter end."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Life is sacred," Nadia shrugs, it not being something she thinks about much but nonetheless something she sticks to. "If you don't have to kill someone you shouldn't, and if you have to kill someone you've done something wrong," she puts it in more pragmatic terms.
<El-Cideon> Rena shrugs. "Father said life was sacred as well. It was never clear to me why this was so. Shall we go?"
<Yomi> "I don't really care about enlightenment, but it changes you if you were to take a human life. You like how you are just fine, right?"
<El-Cideon> "I suppose. Otherwise I would have to be someone else."
<Erin> "We're always changing," cautions Erin. "I'm not afraid to be different."
<Yomi> "It's about changing for the worse," Yomi elaborates. "Not the sort of change you want."
* Nadia_Chekova grabs her bag once fully dressed. Then makes it a point to rifle the men's pockets for any cash or valuables. "Even if we don't take their lives, they should still pay some price," she remarks devilishly.
<El-Cideon> The men have a very meagre amount of cash on them, but every little bit helps. The leader also has a piece of paper with a detailed, typed description of Yomi and Erin.
* Nadia_Chekova hands the description to Erin. "Someone knows you."
<Erin> "I do not look like this!" replies Erin, glaring angrily at the offending description.
<El-Cideon> Rena sidles over and tries to read it. "Oh. This is in English. I can only read German...Does it say something wrong?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "It describes Erin and Yomi, quite well despite her protests," Nadia provides as she pockets the cash and slings her bag over her shoulder.
<El-Cideon> "Then why is Erin angry?"
<Yomi> "Sometimes, when women don't take good care of their bodies..." Yomi tries to explain, leading Rena away.
<Erin> "I do NOT look 'dishevelled' or 'scruffy'!" insists Erin, grabbing bag and heading out as well.
<El-Cideon> --------------------------