Almaric’s Tale - Inside the Large Tent
Holding up his hand towards the woman, Almaric whispers, “I’m not here to hurt you, I’m not one of them. Please don’t give me away and I’ll take you away from here as soon as I can.”
Her eyes are asking for help. Beyond the tangled hair and battered body, it is clear the woman is indeed beautiful. She notes Almaric’s hesitation and she attempts to straighten herself. She tells him that she is a slave to an evil wizard and that he has beaten her badly. The wizard and most of the men have left to steal treasure from a nearby dragon’s horde and they may be back at any time. The key to her tether is in one of the footlockers. She begins to sob and begs for his help.
“My name is Almaric m’lady, what is your name?” he asks in a hushed tone. She says she is called Tar-Gallin.
All the time he has been in the tent, Almaric has been listening for approaching voices and looking for a spot to hide behind a tapestry or some such cover if needed. Neither have presented themselves as of yet.
[/OOC Since the key to the chain is apparently in one of the footlockers, it makes sense to use that rather than risk a lot of noise trying to hack through the metal with ‘Goblin Cleaver’.]
“Give me a short while and I’ll see about freeing you from that chain”, he says before moving through the tent to examine the map on the table and the footlockers. As he passes the woman, she says that the key is in the one to the right. She warns that the footlocker on the left is trapped.
Moving to the tables and the map, Almaric can see that the thing is very old. It does not look like parchment, but some sort of animal skin. The writing is not like any he has seen before. Before Almaric has time to review it in detail, a shadow crosses his back.
In a flash Almaric sees the woman is untethered and holding a dagger. She calls him a fool and attacks…
[/OOC Not quite surprised, Almaric rolls for initiative, but with a -2 penalty: Almaric (14+1-2)=13, Tar-Gallin (20)]
She stabs at her startled, would-be rescuer…
[/OCC Almaric is currently holding his bow, not his shield. Tar-Gallin stabs at Almaric, she rolls (16)-Almaric’s AC without shield(5)=11. HIT
Damage from dagger, (2)… luckily Almaric caught wind of the attack just in time and so she is unable to backstab him. She is however, using a poisoned blade, so Almaric must save vs.Poison. He needs a 14+ and rolls (14)+CON mod.(1)=15. SUCCESS]
The blade pierces Almaric’s skin and even as the tip comes free of the wound, he is aware of a slight burning sensation that warns him of the presence of poison on the weapon!
Realising that this woman is obviously not who or what she at first appeared to be, Almaric has no choice but to fight for his life and to do so as quickly and quietly as he can lest he should attract the attention of the guards outside. He drops his bow and grabs up his sword and shield. He launches a swift slash towards her unarmoured midriff…
[/OOC Almaric attacks Tar-Gallin. He needs a 7+ and rolls (17)-**(Tar-Gallin’s AC)=HIT.
Damage from sword, (5)+STR mod.(2)+Fighter mod.(1)+sword mod.(1)=9 HP]
A large gash opens up across her smooth stomach and she gasps in pain and clutches at the wound. “Enough!”, she says, “I yield!” She takes a step backwards. “In exchange for my freedom, I will tell all that I know. I swear I will be of no further trouble.” She is having a hard time standing upright, the wound to her abdomen clearly bleeding through her blood-stained fingers.
[/OOC: Although technically still in combat, Almaric is classed as un-engaged since Tar-Gallin has ceased to attack any more. Almaric is injured. He is on 6 of 9 Hit Points. Tar-Gallin looks badly injured. Almaric still has MIGHT, LUCK, FINESSE and AUTOMATIC SUCCESS bonuses available for use at any time.]