Fugees and Iron scene 5

Scene 5

A new day dawns. Verden wakes up feeling severely battered and broken. Getting some kind of healing for his ribs is right at the top of his priorities, but tracking down the killer and putting an end to his activities comes first.

He gingerly dresses and pulls on his armour, before going out to find Sergeant Hemlock. The sergeant fills him in on the identity of the two corpses the killer murdered last night – one was the shopkeeper, and the other was the artifact dealer that Verden had been looking for. It seems the Killer abducted the shopkeper, forced him to complete the transaction, and then killed both him and his supplier.

Verden fills Hemlock in on the Warforged he chased down. Both agree they dont have much to go on. Without evidence of the warforged’s involvement, the Refugees are still the obvious culprits to most of the city, and tensions are running high. Verden devises a plan to trap the warforged;

They will stage another seller of a warforged shema, and hope to find a buyer. With luck that should draw the warforged killer out from hiding, and allow them to ambush him.

Another challenge then.

Finding someone to pose as a seller, and getting the word out to a buyer should both require contacts. Because of the extra complication I will set the difficulty as good (3).

Setting up a convincing ambush will require deceive at fair (2)

Springing the ambush at the correct time will require notice at fair (2)

Assuming things go to plan, the fight will be relatively easy as crown officers will help with the ambush. Of course Verden isn’t actually skilled at this sort of thing, so it may not go exactly to plan…

First, setting up the deal (using contacts for a roll of 2+1=3, and success at a minor cost.) goes without a hitch. The only problem is that Verden is forced to rely on his contacts within the Refugee camp to set up the deal, meaning that if things go south it will look like the refugees were setting up an ambush killing of their own…

Second, setting up the ambush (using deceive for a roll of 0 and success at a major cost) is more difficult with Verdens limited experience. He can get himself into position to pull off the ambush by posing as a guard for the seller. He cant see a way to get official reinforcements close enough without giving the game away however. Oh dear…

Lastly, springing the trap (using Notice for a roll of 1+1=2 and success at a minor cost.)…

Things were set up. Verden watched uneasily as his ‘seller’ Harken waited patiently for the buyer to show. So far there was no sign of an ambush. The warforged killer might not show at all. He might not need more schematics, he might wait to target the buyer later, he might have gotten wind of the trap, or he might simply not have heard about the sale. All verden could do was wait and watch as the buyer – a middle aged human with a large belly – arrived and the deal was made. Verden was just starting to relax when it happened. With the sound of splintering glass the warforged made its appearance, leaping through a second story window directly above the transaction to land between the two men in a shower of glittering fragments, Its blade held ready to strike and already swinging towards Harken’s head.

Verden moved fast (attack 0 vs defence 2) and the warforged blade deflected from its path with a deafening clang as he pushed Harken aside. The fight was on.

Verden pushes his friend out of harms way, and calls the blessing of the silver flame upon himself, filling his very being with feirce fire (create advantage using faith for a roll of 1+3=4 to create the advantage ‘blessing of the flame’ with one free invoke.)

The killer circles and strikes (attack 2 vs defence 3, tagging ‘broken ribs’ for attack 4. 1shift +w2 -a3 = 0stress, and the boost ‘painful ribs’), causing pain to flair in Verdens ribs as he deflects the blow.

Verden circles around the killer, forcing him back against the wall of the building he jumped from (using his adaptable stunt to create ‘between a wall and a halberd’ with 1 free invoke.)

The killer attacks again, trying to force his way back out from the wall (attack 6 vs defense 4, tagging ‘painful ribs’ for attack 8,  4 shifts +w2 – a3 = 3 stress), laying into Verden with solid blows but he refuses to give ground.

Every time the Killer launches towards Verdens halberd, he is met with a thrust of his blade. Every time it attempts to circle away from the wall, his blade sweeps wide to halt it. (create advantage using fight for a roll of -2+3=1 against resistance using physique -2+4=2. Verden tags ‘between a wall and a halberd’ for a total of 3, gaining the advantage ‘pinned in place’)

With a roar, the killer attempts to break free of Verdens blade, (using physique 0+4=4 to overcome vs fight 1+3=4. Tagging ‘broken ribs’ with a fate point to succeed). His ribs give a sharp tug as he swings his blade and he is forced to give way as the warforged barrels towards him.

As Verden dances aside from the killer, carefuly maintaining an advantageous distance and using the reach of his weapon to keep it at bay, he watches the way it fights. (create advantage using empathy 3+2=5 vs deceit -3 for 8 shifts and the advantage ‘Use its rage against it’ with two free invokes.) It is almost entirely relying on blind rage and brute strength, weilding its sword like a cleaver.

The killer attacks again (attack 2 vs defence 1) and Verden smoothly steps aside (attack 2 vs defence 3, tagging both ‘use its rage against it’ invokes, as well as ‘blessing of the flame’ for 7 shifts.) swinging his halberd in a graceful arc that seems to anticipate where the killer is moving. As the blade connects he grimaces in pain (killer invokes broken ribs, for total defence 5 and 5 shifts +w3 -a2 = 5stress and taken out). Grimly, Verden fights the pain that washes over him as he connects with the warforged just below its head, sending it spinning into a backwards summersault as the momentum of its lower body continues, and landing it in a crumpled heap of tangled limbs and scrap metal.

Sergeant Hemlock and his reinforcements arrive to find Verden kneeling beside the dead warforged, cradling his damaged ribs.

“C’mon lad.” he says as he pulls the Paladin to his feet. “Let’s see if we can’t get you some healing.”

So that ends the scenario, and merits a significant milestone. Because he has been making friends in the city watch, Verden will increase his Contacts to Fair (2). He will also alter an aspect to show that he now has friends in the watch.