Sapphire:Sessions:20141220

It is evening at the Boar's Head tavern in the city of Sapphire. Behind the bar are a goblin, Bajeeter, and a human, Bruno. Muriel Mills sits at one end of the bar. Captain Harlock of the city guard and the mercenary known as Rain are sitting at a table. Via the group's waitress, Rory sends a drink to the bard who's performing tonight.

Micah (the "calm brother") leaves the tavern, and two men follow him; one appears to be a young thief, and the other a merchant.

Checking the room to see if the buyer might be present, Chalker notices that one of the waitresses. Kate, is walking with a different gait than before. With his aura sense, he sees that Kate has a false aura over a strong-willed, disciplined, powerful woman. Her attention is on Harlock and Rain; she is nervous about them. Chalker quietly calls his companions' attention to that waitress. Shawna remarks that the waitress has had an illusion shell cast upon her.

Trace gets up and carries his drink over to the bartender, Bajeeter, and asks for "something different." Bajeeter offers one of his own brews. Trace asks about Kate, and Bajeeter replies that she went out back around 45 minutes ago. Glancing at the waitress, Bajeeter murmurs "That's not her" and goes outside, taking one of the bouncers with him. Trace tastes his drink, which is very strong, and leaves double the price on the bar.

Chalker calls Kate over, orders an ale, and asks if she's limping. She replies that she's been on her feet all day. With his penetrating vision, Chalker sees a woman about twenty years old, slim and muscular, clad in supple leather and armed with a hand-and-a-half sword and a brace of daggers. On her belt are six talismans. She appears to have no identifying symbols.

Micah and "nervous brother" Otis enter the tavern and seat themselves at the bar. Micah bears a wood-handled leather carrying case big enough to hold the two artifacts. Otis' expression plainly says, "Why am I doing this?" Chalker strolls by and peers inside the case, but it's empty.

Rory addresses the Sapphire Diamond. "Hey, Rock, you awake? Are those items still within range? Have they moved?" "They are still in the building, in the room, but there is something unusual going on that I can't identify."

An elf enters the tavern, and Muriel Mills moves out. Tension in the room rises. Chalker beckons to Muriel and asks her, "Is trouble about to happen?" "I asked you to leave," she replies. Chalker: "Can I let you in on a secret?" Muriel: "Nothing, in case.... Things are far off script. Now it's a matter of who gets to pull what from the wreckage. There's someone else horning in besides you." Muriel takes leave of Shawna with a nod and "My lady," then quick-steps to the door. Another person leaves at the same time.

Trace sees Bajeeter return to the bar; the bouncer is not with him. The goblin catches Trace's eye and nods 'yes.' He stops their waitress on her way to the group's table and murmurs a few words to her.

The waitress sets the group's orders on the table. "They found her corpse dumped in the alley with the trash. Her wounds were fresh."

Rory asks the Diamond, "Has anything changed?" "They're in the room. That man is wearing baggier clothes."

'That man,' an older merchant, goes up to the brothers and begins conversing with them. Chalker lipreads Micah's and Otis's parts of the conversation; the other merchant has his back to him.

Micah: "Yeah, we understand, this wasn't supposed to be the delivery point." Otis: "Everything went wrong! How do we know you'll have our payment?" The merchant speaks. Micah: "Yeah, he did talk to me about it." The merchant speaks again. Micah: "I'm so sorry." Otis: "Just get it out of here! Why'd you bring it back in here, idiot?" The merchant shows no reaction.

A half-dozen thiefly types armed with daggers scatter themselves between the group's table and the tavern's main door. Five 'toughs' react to a signal from the merchant. Two persons slip into the tavern; though they are invisible, they are noticed by the group. Rory nudges Striker with his foot to make sure the war dog is awake.

Chalker hooks onto "Kate's" throwing knives. Trace touches certain of the runes tattooed on his arms (create + weaken), and asks Shawna, "Where do you want to be?" "Outside," she replies.

Chalker sinks a throwing knife into a thief's butt; the man screams. Shawna dispels the invisibility from the two people, then outlines them with faerie fire. These people are the mage they had seen at the city gate and an elf they don't recognize. Shawna is teleported to a bench outside, where she sees four more thieves on the street, a crossbowman atop a building across the way, and a mercenary man-at-arms watching the front of the tavern.

Chalker hooks another of Kate's knives and throws it into the merchant's butt. The merchant cries out in surprise and pain. The mage steps to one side, subtly casting a spell, and raises a hand to the hilt of his sword. The other elf shoulders a patron aside and cross-draws two throwing knives. Rory stands, drawing his sword, and says to Striker, "Shawna." Chalker's first victim jerks the knife from his behind, causing himself even more pain and bleeding. One thief steps through Trace's weakened floor and broken wood cuts into the thief's ankle. "Kate's" illusion drops; she grabs a talisman from her belt, crushes it, and suddenly appears atop Captain Harlock's table, momentarily disoriented. Two mercenaries charge toward Micah and Otis, and another toward Kate. Trace's staff connects with the head of the thief who broke through the floor. The merchant stands; the woman with him collapses, and Rory sees that the woman is being levitated. One of the elves triggered a stun or sleep spell, which affects everyone within five yards. Shawna, the edge of her sword glinting dangerously, beckons to the merc: come at me!

Chalker hooks one of the elf's belt knives and drives it toward the elf's foot; a fireball explodes, injuring a dozen people, but the elf utters a curse and Blinks three yards away. Striker dashes out the door. Trace stands up. The singed elf raises both arms and cancels out the rest of the spells hung on his belt. The other elf flickers and there is a slight smell of both ozone and brimstone (spell failure). Bajeeter tries to jump atop the bar, but lands on his face instead of his feet. Kate has drawn a weapon and is dueling with Harlock. Rain throws a gnawed turkey leg bone at her but misses. The merchant's woman (hired for the night) floats toward the center of the room. As soon as the merc's hand twitches toward the hilt of a weapon, Shawna skewers him through the vitals and the merc collapses.

Chalker hooks another knife and plants it in the stunned elf's butt. Striker has charged halfway across the street. Bajeeter scrambles to his feet. The merchant with the statues takes a step back. Otis dives behind the bar, while Micah tries to stab the merchant and misses. Rain, his dinner interrupted, draws his sword and faces three opponents. Watching Chalker's back, Trace sees four thieves shift positions, hands on hilts; Trace raises his staff as though to cast a spell.

Rory moves toward the merchant before the thieves can react. Shawna fast-draws a throwing knife and hurls it at the crossbowman; he dodges the knife but drops his crossbow, which clatters to the street. Chalker stabs someone else in the butt. Striker worries at the merc's neck. The elf glances at the stunned elf, and steps behind the merchant (facing him). A swirling mist appears two feet above the stunned elf. The floating woman drifts toward Chalker; she is about six yards away and six feet above the floor. Micah stabs, cutting something open; two cases fall out and Micah catches them both one-handed. Sawdust swirls ominously around the thieves' feet, and two of them lose their nerve and run away. Shawna sprints toward one of the thieves.