(Blackhats) Bushwacking

[Cayce]

The climb up the side of the tavern wasn't easy, with few hand holds and sloping slat walls, but for Alex Rivers, it was only a small challenge. Thorned fingers found purchase in otherwise flat wood, and his expertise in climbing helped him scale the side of the building, slide open a window on the top floor and slip inside. The room was a simple affair, with a bed, rug and small side table that housed a small bowl of hedge fruit. Otherwise, it was bare, and as Alex looked through the doorway he saw the room opened out into a long hall that sorted five other open doors, all giving him a view of rooms just like the one he'd climbed through. Beyond that, there were stairs at either end of the hallway: one set leading up, the other set leading down...

Below, the hobs had scurried to and fro, spreading oil along the outside of the tavern and taking positions in case the privateers decided to try and flee from the burning building. Unlikely, perhaps, but the hobs were certainly more eager to do than they were to plan...

[Swami M]

Alex makes sure that the room he entered is empty and then starts to move very carefully down the hall toward the 'up' staircase, pausing at each door to be sure that the other guest rooms are also empty.

  2 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-11-01 21:18:20		Alex Rivers rolls 6 to Stealth (Stealth + Dex) (10 Again)		3, 1, 6, 9, 2, 8		2 successes

[Nathan Griffin]

Alex seemed to have made it. He hadn't paid much attention to him during the trip, but Nathan had to admit he was impressed. However, all the mad climbing skills in the world would count for nothing if they caught him. A distraction was in order.

"Let's get these fireworks started," he told Green and the hobs and chose an oily spot as far away from Alex and close to the privateers as possible. He would rather the fellow Freeholder came out alive and with only a slight tan.

The Hunterheart was about to throw the lighter straight into the oil when he thought better. Grabbing one of the discarded pieces of tinder, he wet it on the combustible and, taking it away, set fire to it. It lit in a moment, and the sudden heat caused him to drop it with a curse. It fell straight where it was supposed to, and the fireworks finally got their first spark.

"It is a pretty okay lighter," he explained, rubbing his not-really-burned hand on the side of his pants.

[Malcolm Green]

Green grunted. His eyes were still watching the window through which Alex had vanished.

He turned to the assembled hobs.

"Now we wait a bit. Let 'em stew." Was there a throb of relish in his voice?

He moved to stand before the front door. He expected they would come out fighting. With luck he could absorb the first wave and his temporary allies could move in for the kill.

Assuming the privateers didn't have a trick up their sleeve.

[Cayce]

All the guest rooms were empty.

The entire upper floor was deserted.

Only the lone Summer crept along upstairs. Even the Steeple was empty. Indeed, it didn't take much effort to guess that the woman with the rifle had run down stairs before Alex had even climbed the tavern. Still, that left him well posed to ambush the privateers once the attack commenced. And, as for the kidnapped chef, they must have been holding her somewhere downstairs...

  They don't hear him

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-11-03 18:41:05		Privateers 4 rolls 6 to Wha'ss 'att? (10 Again)		7, 2, 6, 4, 9, 5		1 success
2016-11-03 18:40:50		Privateers 3 rolls 4 to Wha'ss 'att? (10 Again)		7, 2, 1, 8		1 success
2016-11-03 18:40:12		Privateers 2 rolls 5 to Wha'ss 'att? (10 Again)		2, 4, 2, 7, 10, 7		1 success
2016-11-03 18:39:05		Privateers rolls 6 to Wha'ss 'att? (10 Again)		10, 3, 6, 2, 2, 5, 3		1 success

[Nathan Griffin]

What a lovely day, he thought, sniffing the incipient scent of burnt wood. Not much to do now, except wait for the ducks to jump into the barrel. He stood close to Green, to support him in case things got rough and to keep any stray privateers from evading them.

"Keep an eye on the windows as well," he told the hobs. No tricks. There was only one way out of their little personal hell, and that was through the Freeholders.

[Swami M]

Alex waits quietly near the top of the 'down' stairwell, until he gets some hint of what's happening on the ground floor...

[Malcolm Green]

Green grunted when Nathan gave his instruction...

...And prepared himself to fight the Privateers when they broke free of the house.

[Cayce]

Flames began to rise up the sides of the tavern, insatiable tendrils turning the wood black is they began to feed, and sparks began to lift into the night upon coils of billowing smoke. The air turned acrid and thick as the fire began to rage, and even those outside the tavern began to feel the insidious press of the smoke against the back of their throats and seeping into their sinuses.

Give me stamina+resolve! failure= 1 bashing damage from smoke inhilation

The flames continue to rise higher and higher, clawing their way up the steeple until the flames seemed to dance in the sky itself, and thick smoke roiled in huge drifts, and it seemed as though the Privateers would wait until the tavern collapsed in upon them...

...and upon Alex.

But then, suddenly the flames parted, forming an arch above the tavern's front door, and then suddenly the fire charred wood exploded outward under a blow from one of the privateer's boots.

The man with skin liked embers, with a massive jar of living, swarming fire upon his back strode out, the woman with bloody hair taking his left flank, the bug eyed woman with a knife taking up his right flank, and the massive, piggish figure bringing up the rear with a large barrel strapped to his back...

Initiative please!

[Swami M]

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-11-08 20:06:39		Alex Rivers rolls 5 to Smoke (Stamina + resolve) (10 Again)		5, 8, 7, 7, 2		1 success

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-11-08 20:07:22		Alex Rivers rolls 1 die for initiative		7

Initiative bonus + 6