Meanwhile, at the Friendly Arm Inn Campfire...

[Snarfy]

As the mercenaries begin to move towards Alison, Sjinn slowly draws his hood up and glances quickly from side to side searching for the nearest shadows to duck into, and gauging the distance to the cloakwood. He otherwise makes no threatening gestures. At the same time he says in elven to Alison and Rhys, "Could we grant the child asylum with Doron Amar?"

[vetinari]

Alison nods to Sjinn and Rhys and then. . .

. . . gently, but firmly pushes the boy toward Hobin and shouts:

"Take him and run!"

She turns back to the Fist, and sings Fascinate.

Any Fist not affected, she prepares to passively hinder from taking the child, using Tumble to get in their way and give Hobin and the child time to escape.


((Fascinate: Bard song, not interuptable - DC 28 Will save, affects all hostiles within 90 feet with a Daze effect. Affects up to 26 hostiles. Spell is broken after 10 rounds. Spell is also broken if a hostile person makes a hostile action within 10 feet of a victim.))

[Steal Your Face]

Aearion walks down the Tradeway and in the distance hears a very familiar voice. He begins running toward the song, uncertain of the situation.

Seeing Sjinn and Rhys flanking Alison he smiles briefly, then rushes to her side, ready to interpose between her and anyone that would attempt to take her.

[BlueHero45]

Rhys is taken a bit by shock by Alison's actions

"Has anybody bothered to try and find the boy's parents? This can all be avoided if we get them back to amn like they where heading in the first place. "

[Oarthias]

"Indeed" pipes up the shadows... "Find the parents... we've no business doing otherwise."

[Xanfyrst]

A cloaked individual is listening from afar, near the Friendly Arms Inn. He walks up to two Fist officers at the gate, who are chatting and obviously not aware of what happens.

"Seems like your friend might have a problem. I would suggest calling reinforcements before it escalates, if I were you."

[stevebarracuda]

Hobin, with his hand still on the boy's shoulder and just ever so slightly standing between the boy and the unfolding situation, surveys the landscape.

A shock of energy hits his system as spells are cast, words are flung between opposing sides and the Fist begin to mass under command.

"Chaos brews..." is the thought that races through his head.

Hobin looks to the boy, looks to the expression on the boy's face...

Pick the next move:
If Hobin sees fear and honest terror expressed, Hobin will grab the boy and daringly move with speed into the forest. No one knows the forest like the man of the Cloakwood.

If Hobin sees the boy look to him with a face pleeing for protection, Hobin will take his hand off his hilt and speak these words: "Fist Captain, if you allow me and only me to go with the boy into your custody, leaving alone these good souls who protect innocence at cost, allow me to go with as his guardian representative until his parents are located, then this rising tension can be mitigated. Do as your goodly conscious must be loudly screaming..."

[Simian]

The silence of the forest is broken with a sound of metal hitting a rather sturdy head - ’klang’ – and a tiefling girl falls limb to the ground with a new ‘bump’ on her head. She looks up with her drowsy eyes and gives a barely audible mutter before passing out on the forest floor. Her assaulter pauses to look back, holding his deadly cooking utensil and mutter in return; ‘Blasted spawns of Kaghr’tuk, giving me a scare in the middle of the night’ – before stepping over her knocked out body and heading towards the light of the campfire to find out what the ruckus is all about…

After arriving to the outskirts, it does not take him long to asses the situation, and to recall his previous encounter with the rash, and arrogant young elf, Sjinn Draeth. The human man grinds his teeth, and reluctantly points his index finger at the elf, striking him with a sudden flash of moonlit light, followed by a tiny speckle of fire that upon impact forces the young elf to start boiling from within, and summoning a host of flying insects to buzz above the campfire and to dive in to bite, and sting the young elf’s behind.

// In the order as described:
// Maximized Moonbolt
// Maximized Inferno
// Extended Creeping Doom

Soon after the man steps out from the shadows, letting the light from the campfire reveal his persona, his worn down straw hat and red cloak flowing behind him. His clenched teeth surrounded by messy blue beard, and the iron frying pan held tightly on his left hand. He moves in with speed, swinging the pan towards the old lady, only to miss her head as she collapses before the blow has a chance to connect. However, the momentum of the swing is not so easily stopped and with nothing but pure luck the frying connects with a ‘DONG’ - and a moon elf falls down from a nearby shadow. Not being slowed down by the sudden turn of events, he takes a quick turn towards the Hobin, and with a careless swing of his frying pan – ‘klunk’ - he cuts down the poor old Albert’s dive to his dearest friend Helena.

For a brief moment, he observes how Allison is still holding back the battle mage and the Fists, and how Hobin himself seems to have turned his gaze towards child – therefore allowing the frying pan assaulter to take a deep breath before leaping towards Hobin and the boy. The man approaches with certain and quick steps, while raising the pan ready to give the blow that lands at the back of Hobin’s head, causing him to fall unconscious on top of the boy. As the boy is caught under the unconscious man, Allison receives a quick – ‘whack’- from the pan as well – though the bard’s song still lingers to daze the Flaming Fist mercenaries.

The battle mage stares still at the straw hatted man who has returned to the unconscious Hobin. The straw-hatted assaulter set’s his frying pan aside, and pushes the unconscious body off the boy, helping the young man to stand up and whispering something into the boy’s ear. The boy seems confused at first, but soon calms down and follows the blue bearded to the mage. As they approach the group of Fists, a smug smile spreads to the battle mage’s face, and question leaves his lips; ‘Didn’t you used to have ginger be…’ the battle mage never had the time to finish his question, as a quick punch breaks a nose and tosses him out of balance and falls him to the ground.

The straw hatted man smiles and says: ‘You’re a blasted cheat on the cards, and I’ve waited for a long time to give you that punch. ’ He rubs his brown before continuing: ‘Ugh… I think it is time for you to round them up. I am bloody too old for this nonsense. And so are you Hoggins. ’ The two men stare at each other, before the straw-hatter man extends his hand to help the old battle mage to stand up on his own too feet. He adjusts his straw hat and gives the boy a final glance, and few words of wisdom; While that man is rotten as it gets with a game of cards, he at least has a heart of gold outside the card table, so I think you are best off sticking with him. He’ll get things sorted. The man ruffles the boy’s hair briefly before turning away and snapping his fingers to release most of the magical effects plaguing the young elven man. After few steps, a gust of wind blows the straw-hatted man first translucent, until he vanishes altogether, leaving only a frying pan and bunch of knocked out adventurers in his wake…

// Spirit Journey

And were you to have a look at the frying pan, it is slightly rusted at the bottom.

[Steal Your Face]

// At this point I'd mention that Aearion is right next to Alison and would cast Bigby's on the frying-pan assaulter at his first opportunity but since this is rapidly turning into a forum "I win" battle RP with at least six actions taken without the opportunity of reponse, instead I'll just bow out.

[Simian]

/// Yes, after half a year I went around asking if it was alright for my character to get his 15 minutes of fame. I am sorry that I've missed your character, but it was Carebear's wishes to have Quin Waynn dissappear ASAP. Edit: I've been working on that post since two three pages back...

[DM Carebear]

((Thanks to participants who (more or less) willingly agreed to such resolution ))
((I'm sorry it got out of hand so much.))

A moment after the whole scene is finished, Flaming Fist mercenaries snap out of their daze. They study the aftermath with surpirse and turn to face the battlemage, who is rubbing his nose with one hand and holding the terrified boy's shoulder with the other. He ahems and puffs his chest to look like everything that happened here is result of his magical prowess.

"I think, we are done 'ere. Aye. Leave sods be.", battlemage turns on his heels and starts walking towards the safety of Friendly Arm's walls, dragging the boy with him. Escort turns to follow, often throwing glances over their shoulder. Battlemage watches Aearion storm by and, soon, the whole procession stops as they run into the unit that's been sent to them from the encampment. They are seen chatting idly in the middle of the road.

[Snarfy]

The arrogant young elf, still laying in the middle of the road in the aftermath of the series of highly improbable and unlikely events, slowly props himself up onto one elbow. As he groggily rises to his feet, grunting lightly and rubbing his buttocks, he can clearly be heard asking, "What... or who hit me?". The elf hobbles back to the noticeboard and winces as he leans back against it again. Those gathered around the campfire would no doubt be speaking to each other about the straw hatted, blue bearded, frying pan weilding man, and the young elf can be seen paying close attention to any discussions taking place.

A dark look crosses the elfs face as the crowd describes the events surrounding the man, his unprovoked attacks against so many capable adventurers, and the inability of the Fist to do anything about it. "I'm offering ten thousand copper to anyone who knows the name of the frying pan weilder, and where he can be found. Anyone willing to provide me any information should come find me in the inn.", says the young elf through clenched teeth. He then quaffs a potion and dusts himself off before making his way to the Friendly Arm Inn.

// 10,000 gold IG for info on the character

[blackdove]

the tiefling awakes , spitting out dirt. She rubs her head. She never saw who hit her but heard his voice she smiles.' finally someone who shows a tiefling some proper fear and respect. ' then she moans and return to the campfire.. at first thinking to return to the inn, then noticing she was not the only one hit.' hmm.. maybe not.'she grumbles.

[Oarthias]

The moon elf groans as she comes to... her left hand lifting and touching the bump on her head. "Really didn't see that one coming...."

She glances down at her feet.. "Oh please as if you saw it coming yourself."

"But I did, you were just ignoring me," retorted the feet.

A soft unbelieving snort escapes her lips, "If you'd had seen it coming you would have reflexively moved us out of the way. So cut the.." she bites her tongue and doesn't continue. A brow raising as she bite her tongue. Gods, was she practicing diplomacy on her feet? As if that would really work on them.

"I heard that."

She groaned, right there was no keeping thoughts from them. She continued to rub her forehead and headed off in the direction of Doron Amar. "Oh stuff it and lets just go home."

[stevebarracuda]

The dust settles. The situation with the boy has been mitigated. Adventurers caught in the fray and attack of the blue-bearded man rise and regain composure...all except for one.

"Ee'is not be moving," says a voice. "He be dead?," asks another.

"Murdered!", shouts a shrill voice fom the crowd of commoners now surrounding the body of Hobin Roed.

Face down in the dirt--and a slowly growing pool of blood--lies the body of Hobin. His unshielded skull cracked open by an overzealous hit fron that deftly wielded frying pan; the blunt force having caused a hemorrhage and near instant death.

"Call the Fist Captain back, this is criminal!" shouts another commoner. "Something must be done...the gallows for the straw-hatted man!," shouts out another.

All the commotion around the body of Hobin gains the attention of the Fist, no doubt.

Near Hobin's body, a slight sobbing can easily be heard. "He was a good man to the people I tell ye, a truly good man..."